Senator O'Brien Holds Drunk Drivers Accountable

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Today, Senator Ted O’Brien’s bill requiring that individuals convicted of DWI pay for their medical transportation before their driver license could be reissued passed the New York State Senate.

“Individuals who break the law and drive while intoxicated put every other motorist in danger. When our emergency services personnel put themselves on the line to aid these impaired drivers, at a minimum they deserve a guarantee that they will be compensated,” Senator O’Brien said. “Insisting that these drivers pay the medical transportation expenses incurred as a result of their reckless actions is another way to deter this behavior and protect law-abiding drivers.”

The bill, S.3516, adds proof of payment for medical transportation to the requirements for someone who has lost their license due to a DWI conviction and is applying for a new one or the reissuance of an old one.

“We must hold drunk drivers accountable for their dangerous behavior,” Senator O’Brien said. “These people put our children and families at risk and then, when they ignore the bill from the ambulance company, they expect us to pay it in the form of higher health care and insurance costs. That is simply unacceptable. I am proud to have passed this bill through the Senate and grateful to Democratic Conference Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins for all of her work getting it to the floor for a vote.”

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For more information, see the sponsor’s memo and full text of the bill:
http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/S3516-2013

Sen. O’Brien represents the 55th district in the Senate, which is made up of the eastern half of Monroe County and the western half of Ontario County, including much of the city of Rochester.

Media contact:

Thomas J. Morrisey
Communications Director
office: (585) 218-0034
e-mail: tjmorris@nysenate.gov

(Photo by Jason Edward Scott Bain, used under CreativeCommons license.)