S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  3503--A
 
                        2017-2018 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 23, 2017
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. VALESKY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation --  commit-
   tee  discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recom-
   mitted to said committee
 
 AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in  relation  to  requiring
   drivers  between sixteen and twenty-five years of age to take and pass
   the national safety council course, or a similar  nationally  approved
   course approved by the department of motor vehicles in order to obtain
   a license or upon conviction of a moving violation
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 502 of the vehicle and traffic law
 is amended by adding a new paragraph (c-1) to read as follows:
   (C-1) (I) AS A PREREQUISITE TO RECEIVING A LICENSE, AN APPLICANT FOR A
 CLASS D LICENSE WHO IS AT LEAST SIXTEEN BUT NOT  MORE  THAN  TWENTY-FIVE
 YEARS  OF  AGE  SHALL  BE  REQUIRED TO TAKE AND PASS THE NATIONAL SAFETY
 COUNCIL COURSE, OR A  SIMILAR  NATIONALLY  RECOGNIZED  PSYCHOLOGY-BASED,
 BEHAVIORAL COURSE APPROVED BY THE DEPARTMENT, RELATING TO YOUNG DRIVER'S
 ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS BEHIND THE WHEEL.
   (II)  A  DRIVING SAFETY COURSE DESIGNED FOR DRIVERS YOUNGER THAN TWEN-
 TY-FIVE YEARS OF AGE MUST:
   (A) BE A FOUR HOUR CLASSROOM-BASED  COURSE  THAT  UTILIZES  COMPELLING
 VIDEOS,  PEER DISCUSSIONS, HIGHLY INTERACTIVE TEAM EXERCISES, ROLE PLAY-
 ING AND WORKBOOK EXERCISES SPECIFIC TO YOUNG DRIVERS;
   (B) INCLUDE INSTRUCTION ON:
   (1) THE DEFINITION OF "PREVENTABLE COLLISION" AND THE  CHARACTERISTICS
 OF A PREVENTABLE COLLISION;
   (2) THE TRAFFIC LAWS OF THIS STATE;
   (3)  ISSUES COMMONLY ASSOCIATED WITH MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS INVOLVING
 DRIVERS YOUNGER THAN TWENTY-FIVE YEARS  OF  AGE,  INCLUDING  THE  CONSE-
 QUENCES  OF MAKING POOR DECISIONS, TAKING UNNECESSARY RISKS, IDENTIFYING
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD01649-05-7

 S. 3503--A                          2
 
 BEHAVIOR THAT CAN BE CONTROLLED, RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH SPECIFIC  DRIVING
 CHOICES  AND  BEHAVIORS, DRIVING WITHOUT SEAT BELTS, SPEED KILLS, RISKS,
 CHALLENGES AND TECHNIQUES ASSOCIATED WITH NAVIGATING  INTERSECTIONS  AND
 RIGHT-OF-WAY  SITUATIONS,  FOLLOWING TOO CLOSELY, AGGRESSIVE DRIVING AND
 ROAD RAGE;
   (4) MANUAL, VISUAL, AND COGNITIVE DISTRACTIONS RELATIVE TO CELL PHONES
 AND HANDS FREE DEVICES, USE OF IN-VEHICLE INFOTAINMENT SYSTEMS,  ADJUST-
 MENT OF CONTROLS, USE OF GPS AND ROAD MAPS AND MULTI-TASKING WHILE DRIV-
 ING A VEHICLE AND THE ROLE OF PEER PRESSURE IN THOSE SITUATIONS;
   (5) IMPAIRED DRIVING RELATED TO FATIGUE;
   (6) IMPAIRED DRIVING RELATED TO DRUGS AND ALCOHOL;
   (7) TECHNIQUES FOR IDENTIFICATION OF POTENTIAL HAZARDS ON THE ROAD AND
 CONSEQUENCES OF UNSAFE DRIVING BEHAVIORS;
   (8)  THE EFFECT OF POOR DRIVER DECISION-MAKING ON THE FAMILY, FRIENDS,
 SCHOOL, AND COMMUNITY OF A YOUNG DRIVER; AND
   (9) THE IMPORTANCE OF TAKING CONTROL OF POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS  DRIVING
 SITUATIONS BOTH AS A DRIVER AND AS A PASSENGER; AND
   (C)  REQUIRE  A  WRITTEN  COMMITMENT PLAN BY THE STUDENT TO FAMILY AND
 FRIENDS WHEREBY THE STUDENT COMMITS TO APPROPRIATE AND RESPECTFUL  DRIV-
 ING BEHAVIORS.
   (III) ANY DRIVER AT LEAST EIGHTEEN BUT NOT MORE THAN TWENTY-FIVE YEARS
 OF  AGE  WHO  IS  CONVICTED  OF  ONE OR MULTIPLE MOVING VIOLATIONS FOR A
 SINGLE TRAFFIC STOP SHALL BE  REQUIRED  TO  TAKE  AN  EIGHT-HOUR  COURSE
 APPROVED BY THE DEPARTMENT.
   (A) THE COURSE CURRICULUM MUST BE AN EIGHT HOUR CLASSROOM-BASED COURSE
 AND MUST INCLUDE INSTRUCTION REGARDING:
   (1)  PROVEN PSYCHOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES THAT LEAD TO EFFECTIVE BEHAVIORAL
 CHANGE SUCH AS DR. WILLIAM GLASSER'S "CHOICE THEORY", AS IT  RELATES  TO
 BEHIND-THE-WHEEL DRIVING BEHAVIOR;
   (2)  WHY  DRIVERS  DO  OR  DO NOT CHOOSE TO OBEY TRAFFIC LAWS WITH THE
 PRIMARY FOCUS ON BEHAVIORS RATHER THAN EXCUSES; AND
   (3) ADDITIONAL PROBLEM DRIVER BEHAVIORS INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO:
 HAZARDS ASSOCIATED WITH PRESCRIPTIVE AND OVER-THE-COUNTER DRUGS, INCLUD-
 ING SYNERGISM; IMPACTS OF  DRIVING  WITH  EXCESSIVE  SPEED;  IMPACTS  OF
 RIGHT-OF-WAY  VIOLATIONS;  DANGERS OF DISTRACTED DRIVING; PROPER PASSING
 AND FOLLOWING DISTANCES; AGGRESSIVE  DRIVING  BEHAVIORS  AND  THE  HUMAN
 ABILITY TO CHOOSE BEHAVIOR.
   (B) THE COURSE SHALL:
   (1)  ENCOURAGE THE PROBLEM DRIVER TO EXPLORE AND UNDERSTAND HIS OR HER
 OWN ATTITUDES IN VARIOUS DRIVING SITUATIONS; AND
   (2) TEACH THE PROBLEM DRIVER THAT POOR BEHAVIORAL CHOICES MADE  BEHIND
 THE WHEEL OFTEN RESULT IN UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES, INCLUDING MOTOR VEHI-
 CLE  VIOLATIONS,  OR ACCIDENTS, AND THAT THE DRIVER SHALL APPRECIATE THE
 RESPONSIBILITY PLACED UPON EACH DRIVER TO CONFORM  HIS  OR  HER  DRIVING
 CONDUCT FOR THE BENEFIT OF OTHER MOTORISTS, PEDESTRIANS AND THEMSELVES.
   (C)  THE  TRAINING  SHALL  BE HIGHLY INTERACTIVE, CLASSROOM-BASED, AND
 ENGAGING, TAKING ADVANTAGE OF VARIOUS FORMS OF MEDIA.
   § 2. The commissioner of the department of motor vehicles will  estab-
 lish  an  application  fee  for  the  driver  safety course described in
 section one of this act, as he or she deems appropriate. The  fee  shall
 be  paid  by  applicants  for a class D license who are under the age of
 twenty-five.  All revenues generated by such fees shall be  expended  to
 cover  the  costs of implementing the driver's safety course program and
 the processing of any information necessary to implementing the program.
   § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of January next  succeed-
 ing the date upon which it shall have become a law.