Ups Penalties For Getting Behind Wheel
Seeking to make New York streets safer for law-abiding residents, State Sen. Joseph P. Addabbo announced Senate passage of legislation he sponsored to significantly increase penalties, including higher fines and jail time, for driving with a suspended or revoked license.
“Many of my constituents have complained to me about the danger posed by illegal drivers to lawabiding motorists, pedestrians, children and elderly people attempting to travel safely through their neighborhoods,” said Addabbo. “That’s why I introduced this bill [S.1919]. Drivers who knowingly and consistently flaunt the law and operate motor vehicles with suspended or revoked licenses could face fines as high as $10,000 and jail time of up to four years.”
Addabbo noted that a 2008 study by the American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety called “Unlicensed to Kill” found that unlicensed drivers were involved in one of every five fatal crashes in the United States-a rate the Foundation found had remained virtually unchanged from earlier studies of the same issue.
In New York, almost 17 percent of fatal crashes were found to involve drivers without valid licenses.
“Clearly, there are dangerous drivers out there who don’t take our current laws against driving illegally very seriously,” Addabbo said. “This needs to change.”
My legislation is meant to send a very clear message to people who continue to drive with suspended or revoked licenses: stop, or face serious consequences-including increased monetary fines and up to four years in jail,” the senator added. “It is unfortunate that we all too often hear or read about incidents where innocent people have lost their lives in fatal accidents caused by unlicensed motorists. Hopefully, my bill will help to reduce these tragedies and force illegal drivers to take responsibility for their actions.”
Having passed the Senate, Addabbo’s bill now goes to the State Assembly for consideration.
