21 Means 21: Senator Carlucci Unveils Card Hard Campaign to Go After Fake IDs, Underage Drinking for July 4th Holiday

State Legislation Would Increase Presence of Fake ID Scanners at Bevarage Stores, Enable Store Employees to Confiscate Fake IDs

ORANGEBURG, NY – In the wake of the Fourth of July holiday celebration scheduled to take place tomorrow, Senator Carlucci today joined with local law enforcement personnel, business groups, and advocates to stress the need to combat the growing problem of underage drinking during one of the “100 Deadliest Days” for teen drivers.

Seeking to counter this annual problem throughout the state, the New York State Card Hard Campaign initiative was unveiled to help communities, businesses, and legislators better address the dangerous problem of underage drinking.  

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the Fourth of July is the second deadliest day of the entire year where 42% of the fatal crashes involve a drunk driver.  Since 2007, there have been 6,401 statewide recorded incidences of sales to minors, with 196 of them occurring in Rockland.

“Underage drinking is a serious problem that we cannot afford to take lightly, particularly during the Fourth of July holiday,” said Senator Carlucci.  “Fake IDs are not only against the law, but they encourage bad behavior and result at times in tragic circumstances.  Through an innovative public-private partnership between government and businesses, we can begin to reduce the problem that plagues not only the lives of our youth, but also the costs it imposes on our businesses’ bottom line.”

Underage drinking is complemented by a surge in the amount of individuals under the age of 21 that utilize Fake IDs to access bars, liquor stores, and other alcohol serving retail establishments. 

Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee said, “Fake IDs are all too easy to get—and unfortunately some bars and liquor stores are not properly vigilant when it comes to checking IDs. Beyond that, we all must take personal responsibility for preventing intoxicated people in our presence from driving. With Leandra’s Law and other legislation, New York has cracked down on drunk driving; Card Hard is a laudable step toward making New York’s roads even safer.”

However, businesses and taxpayers are often left picking up the tab for the financial costs incurred.  In fact, New Yorkers paid to the tune of $3.5 billion dollars in 2007 alone, according to the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services.  Fines levied by the State Liquor Authority against even the best acting businesses which sell to minors can cut into the bottom line of businesses statewide. 

Jeff Saunders, President of the Retailers Alliance, and Founder of the Last Store on Main Street said,  “Retailers are on the front lines of this important battle and we are doing everything we can to protect New York’s youth. We take the responsibility of safeguarding minors seriously, and we are proud of the job we do, but we know there is always room for improvement. The Card Hard legislation will provide us with the tools to do an even better job, and is proactive in getting fake IDs off the street, adequately punishes minors who use them and recognizes the efforts of diligent stores that have a clean track record. Card Hard is a win-win-win for New York.”

This campaign, which is a collective public-private partnership of elected officials and businessmen throughout New York State, includes a package of proposals that would:

•  Incentivize businesses to purchase scanners to verify the truthfulness of IDs (S.7126/A.10273)

•  Allow businesses to confiscate fake IDs and take them off the streets (S.7127/A.10272)

• Increase fines and consequences for being caught using a fake ID (S.7128/A.10271)

• Strengthen defenses for those retailers that employ best practices (S.7130A/A.10270-A)

• Extends Dram Shop Liability to serial makers of fake IDs (S.1025A/A.10368)

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