BILL NUMBER: S8623

SPONSOR: FELDER
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the penal law, in relation to requiring every case of an
injury arising from or caused by a bicycle with electric assist, an
electric scooter or a limited use motorcycle to be reported at once to
the police authorities of the city, town or village where the person
reporting is located

 
PURPOSE:

Report to police the injuries and deaths caused by E-Bikes, E-scooters,
and Mopeds, and better record such data

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends the penal law by adding a new section 265.27 that would
require every case of an injury from or caused by a bicycle with elec-
tric assist, an electric scooter or a limited use motorcycle to be
reported at once to the police authorities of the city, town or village
              

where the person reporting is located

Section 2 sets forth the effective date of this legislation.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, between 2017-22,
there was estimated to be over 360,000 emergency department visits
related to e-bikes, scooters, and hover boards, nation-wide'.  Lack of
regulations of e-bikes, e-scooters and mopeds is an issue that permeates
New York City and is having dangerous consequences.  Since 2021, there
have been at least 10 deaths attributed to drivers of these two-wheeled
vehicles." Frustratingly, this data is often very difficult to track.
 
JUSTIFICATION:  In our ever rapidly changing communities, these micro-
mobility vehicles are becoming more popular, but our state laws have not
been updated to accommodate these changes. While the proliferation of
these micromobility vehicles has been convenient for some, they have
also become the culprit of increasing accidents and fatalities.   
JUSTI-
FICATION:  Sadly, many accidents involving pedestrians and a micromo-
bility vehicle result in the vehicle's driver fleeing the scene. If the
police are not immediately notified of the accident, it is very unlikely
that vehicle's driver will ever be caught. This legislation seeks to
address this by requiring the doctor or hospital treating the injured
pedestrian to alert the police, so that there is a greater chance to
apprehend the perpetrator. This is similar to what is done when treating
a gunshot victim.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

This bill would also allow local police departments to better track
accidents involving e-bikes, e-scooters and mopeds. Too often accident
data involving micromobility vehicles is under-reported.  Even when it
is reported, it is rarely given its own dataset and is lumped into broad
categories, which makes it difficult to track the number and severity of
accidents.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New Bill

 
FISCAL IMPACT:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
(i) https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/Micromobility-
Products-Related-Deaths-Injuries-and-Hazard-Patterns-2017-
2022.pdf?Versionld=BekCvlY03IvMU9nHr2ErziUNXNkPAghJ
(ii https://nypost.com/2023/09/24/death-toll-shows-time-to-end- e-cy-
cles/