BILL NUMBER: S2508

SPONSOR: KAPLAN
 
TITLE OF BILL:  An act to amend the penal law, in relation to staging
a motor vehicle accident

 
PURPOSE:

To impose tough criminal penalties on those who engage in staged acci-
dents.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

This bill would establish a new crime of staging a motor vehicle acci-
dent. A person who operates a motor vehicle and intentionally causes a
collision with intent to commit insurance fraud or arranges to have
another person intentionally cause such a collision shall be guilty of
staging a motor vehicle accident in the second degree which would be
punishable as a class E felony.

A person would he guilty of staging in the first degree, punishable as a
              

class D felony, if a person commits the offense of staging in the second
degree and causes serious personal injury or death to another person
other than a participant in such offense.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

On March 22, 2003, Alice Ross, a 71 year old grandmother, was killed as
the result of a staged auto accident. These "accidents" are arranged and
intentionally committed by criminals who then file fraudulent insurance
claims for fake crash injuries and rob insurance companies and their
policyholders. While the economic cost of such activity is staggering
with no-fault insurance fraud estimated to cost insurance companies and
their policyholders $1 billion per year, staged accidents also pose a
serious public safety risk, as is demonstrated by the untimely death of
Alice Ross. Women and elderly drivers are in particular danger because
they are often targeted for these accidents because they are less likely
to be confrontational after an accident, thereby making it easier for
criminals to engage in this activity.

This bill would make staging an accident to commit insurance fraud a
class E Felony, thereby deterring individuals from engaging in this
dangerous crime. Not only would this help to contain no-fault fraud and
reduce insurance premiums, but it will make us all safer:  New.York
State drivers should not have to drive down the road wondering whether
someone might purpose fully drive into them for the purpose of engaging
in insurance fraud.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

A. 5073 of 2018-2019; Passed Assembly.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeeding the
date on which it shall have become a law