Senate Approves Legislation to Permanently Revoke Driver’s Licenses of Individuals Who Repeatedly Drive Drunk

     Senator Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr. (R-Merrick) today announced that the New York State Senate has passed legislation he sponsored to ensure that individuals who repeatedly drink and drive lose their driver’s licenses for good.

     The legislation (S739) would allow DMV to permanently revoke the driver’s license of individuals with any combination of three DWI convictions or chemical test refusals. Individuals with two DWI convictions that resulted in physical injury would also be subject to permanent license revocation. DMV would be prohibited from ever issuing a license again to these offenders.

     “Driving is a privilege, not a right. Choosing to drive drunk and put innocent lives at risk is a major abuse of that privilege. Drivers who repeatedly make that irresponsible and dangerous choice should lose their driver’s licenses for good. This legislation would enhance New York State’s ability to keep persistent, dangerous drunk drivers from ever holding a driver’s license again,” said Senator Fuschillo, Chairman of the Senate’s Transportation Committee.

     According to DMV, 1,658 drivers were permanently banned from having a driver’s license under regulations adopted last September because of their long history of alcohol or drug related driving convictions. These individuals lost their licenses permanently because they had either:

    • Five or more alcohol or drug related convictions in their lifetime; or

    • Three or more alcohol or drug related driving convictions in the last 25 years plus at least one other serious driving offense during that period, such as a fatal crash, a driving-related penal law conviction, an accumulation of 20 or more points assessed for driving violations within the last 25 years, or having two or more driving convictions each worth five points or higher.

     Senator Fuschillo’s legislation would strengthen the criteria for permanent license denial, enabling DMV to keep even more of these drunk driving offenders from ever obtaining a license.