NY State Senate Bill 2011-S842

Senate Bill S842

2011-2012 Legislative Session

Requires police accident reports to indicate whether the use of a mobile phone contributed to such vehicle accident

download bill text pdf

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Rules Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jun 21, 2012	committed to rules
May 07, 2012	advanced to third reading
May 02, 2012	2nd report cal.
May 01, 2012	1st report cal.676
Jan 04, 2012	referred to transportation
Jun 24, 2011	committed to rules
Jun 14, 2011	advanced to third reading
Jun 13, 2011	2nd report cal.
Jun 07, 2011	1st report cal.1052
Jan 05, 2011	referred to transportation

Votes

- May 1, 2012 - Transportation Committee Vote
  S842
  
  15
  
  Aye
  
  1
  
  Nay
  
  2
  
  Aye with Reservations
  
  0
  
  Absent
  
  1
  
  Excused
  
  0
  
  Abstained
  - - Transportation Committee Vote: May 1, 2012
      
      aye (15)
      
      Adams
      
      Diaz
      
      Dilan
      
      Fuschillo
      
      Kennedy
      
      Larkin
      
      Maziarz
      
      McDonald
      
      Nozzolio
      
      Perkins
      
      Robach
      
      Smith
      
      Squadron
      
      Stavisky
      
      Zeldin
      
      nay (1)
      
      Johnson
      
      aye wr (2)
      
      Ranzenhofer
      
      Young
      
      excused (1)
      
      Valesky
  Jun 7, 2011 - Transportation Committee Vote
  S842
  
  15
  
  Aye
  
  1
  
  Nay
  
  3
  
  Aye with Reservations
  
  0
  
  Absent
  
  0
  
  Excused
  
  0
  
  Abstained
  - - Transportation Committee Vote: Jun 7, 2011
      
      aye (15)
      
      Adams
      
      Diaz
      
      Dilan
      
      Fuschillo
      
      Johnson
      
      Kennedy
      
      Maziarz
      
      McDonald
      
      Perkins
      
      Robach
      
      Smith
      
      Squadron
      
      Stavisky
      
      Valesky
      
      Zeldin
      
      nay (1)
      
      Larkin
      
      aye wr (3)
      
      Nozzolio
      
      Ranzenhofer
      
      Young

2011-S842 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A1149
Current Committee:: Senate Rules
Law Section:: Vehicle and Traffic Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §603, V & T L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2009-2010: S1547, A4184
2013-2014: S1296, A1963
2015-2016: S3157, A5890
2017-2018: S4808, A2647
2019-2020: A3569

2011-S842 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires police accident reports to indicate whether a mobile phone was in use at the time of such vehicle accident.

2011-S842 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                BILL NUMBER:S842

TITLE OF BILL:
An act
to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to requiring accident
reports to indicate whether a mobile phone
was in use at the time of
the accident

PURPOSE:
To allow police, the Department of Motor Vehicles and private
researchers the ability to gather information more effectively
regarding the relationship between automobile accidents and the use
of mobile telephones in New York State.

SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
This bill amends subdivision 1 of
section 603 of the vehicle and traffic law as amended by chapter 432
of the laws of 1997. This bill provides that every automobile
accident report prepared by a police or judicial officer distinctly
indicates whether a mobile telephone was in use at the time of said
accident.

JUSTIFICATION:
Individuals distracted by the use of a mobile phone
while operating a motor vehicle have become an increasing cause of

automobile accidents on the roads of this state. Past reports from
the University of Toronto and the Rochester Institute of Technology
have determined that driving while using a mobile phone increases the
risk of having an accident by 400% and drivers with mobile phones run
an eleven-fold risk of being killed behind the wheel. As use of
mobile phones increases, the accident statistics have increased as
well. While New York has outlawed the use of hand held mobile phones
while driving, this legislation will allow the state to determine the
efficacy of the cell phone ban legislation.

The severity of this situation is obscured by the fact that there are
no accurate statistics for determining the correlation between mobile
phones, and automobile accidents in New York State. The Rochester
Institute of Technology report relied on data recorded in Oklahoma,
which requires the reporting of the presence of mobile phones in
vehicles involved in an accident. This legislation would require that
the same information be included in official accident reports in New
York State. In addition, the report must state whether it is known or
suspected that a mobile phone was a cause of such accident. As a
result, the police, the Department of Motor Vehicles and private
researchers will have a more accurate source of data regarding
accidents in which mobile phones were involved in New York State.
Such information may be used to support proposed measures to help
effectively prevent more automobile accidents.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
Previously introduced.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.


EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect 180 days from the date it
shall have become law, provided, however, that any rules or
regulations necessary for the implementation of the provisions of
this act on its effective date shall be promulgated on or before such
date.

2011-S842 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                   842

                       2011-2012 Regular Sessions

                            I N  S E N A T E

                               (PREFILED)

                             January 5, 2011
                               ___________

Introduced  by Sen. STAVISKY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
  printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation

AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in  relation  to  requiring
  accident  reports to indicate whether a mobile phone was in use at the
  time of the accident

  THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section  1.  Subdivision  1  of section 603 of the vehicle and traffic
law, as amended by chapter 432 of the laws of 1997, is amended  to  read
as follows:
  1.  Every  police or judicial officer to whom an accident resulting in
injury to a person shall have been reported, pursuant to  the  foregoing
provisions  of this chapter, shall immediately investigate the facts, or
cause the same to be investigated, and report the matter to the  commis-
sioner  forthwith; provided, however, that the report of the accident is
made to the police officer or judicial officer within  five  days  after
such  accident.  Every  coroner, or other official performing like func-
tions, shall likewise make a report to the commissioner with respect  to
all  deaths found to have been the result of motor vehicle or motorcycle
accidents.   Such report shall include  information  on  the  width  and
length  of  trucks,  tractors,  trailers  and semitrailers, which are in
excess of ninety-five inches in width or thirty-four feet in length  and
which  are  involved in such accidents, whether such accident took place
in a work area and whether it was being operated with an  overweight  or
overdimension permit.  Such report shall distinctly indicate and include
information  as  to whether the inflatable restraint system inflated and
deployed. SUCH REPORT SHALL DISTINCTLY INDICATE AND INCLUDE  INFORMATION
AS  TO  WHETHER A MOBILE TELEPHONE, AS SUCH TERM IS DEFINED IN PARAGRAPH
(A) OF SUBDIVISION ONE OF SECTION TWELVE HUNDRED TWENTY-FIVE-C  OF  THIS
CHAPTER,  WAS  IN USE AT THE TIME OF SAID ACCIDENT. Nothing contained in

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                           LBD03656-01-1

S. 842                              2

this subdivision shall be deemed  to  preclude  a  police  officer  from
reporting any other accident which, in the judgment of such police offi-
cer,  would be required to be reported to the commissioner by the opera-
tor of a vehicle pursuant to section six hundred five of this article.
  S  2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day from
the date it shall have become a law, provided,  however,  any  rules  or
regulations  necessary  for the implementation of the provisions of this
act on its effective date shall be promulgated on or before such date.

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