Senator Anna M. Kaplan Passes Historic Limousine Safety Legislation

Click here to download photos, HD video clips for use in reporting: press event with victim families, floor speech upon bill passage

(Albany, NY) -- Today, New York State Senator Anna M. Kaplan, (D-Great Neck) along with the Senate Majority, passed regulation reforms designed to make traveling in limos safer and provide peace of mind for those who enlist the alternate form of transportation statewide. The bills were created in collaboration with families of victims involved in limo crashes in Schoharie last October and Cutchogue in July 2015. Among the changes are requirements for commercial driver’s licenses, mandated seat belts in every vehicle carrying 9 or more passengers, and authorization for the NYS Department of Transportation to immobilize a stretch limo with an out-of-service defect.

Bill Sponsor, Senator Anna M. Kaplan said, “The unimaginable tragedies that took place in Cutchogue and Schoharie were a rude awakening for all New Yorkers about the safety of stretch limousines. As lawmakers, we have a duty to families across the state to take action to prevent such senseless tragedy from ever happening again, and I’m very proud to sponsor legislation as part of that effort to keep our residents safe.”

The package of legislation advanced by the Senate Majority includes:

• Creation of Passenger Task Force: This bill, S.6189-A, introduced by Senator Anna M. Kaplan, establishes a task force to further examine limo regulations, including safety training programs, the need for rearview cameras, airbags, and speed restriction devices, and the number of miles or years a stretch limo can be on the road.
• New CDL Requirements for Limo Drivers: This bill, S.6192, requires limo drivers to have commercial driver’s licenses with a passenger endorsement, which ensures that drivers are tested on the vehicles that they will be relied on to operate.
• Seatbelt Requirements: This bill, S.6191-A, requires seat belts in any altered vehicle transporting nine or more passengers, in addition to the implementation of anti-intrusion bars and of push out escape windows.
• Immobilization of Defective Limos: This bill, S.6193-A, authorizes the DOT to immobilize or impound a stretch limo with an out-of-service or horn-related defect.
• Amended Limo Insurance Coverage: This bill, S.5329-A, creates new minimum liability insurance requirements for for-hire vehicles carrying 8 or more passengers.
• Increased Penalties for Illegal U-Turns: This bill, S.6188-A, expands financial and criminal penalties for large passenger motor carriers who make illegal U-turns and illegally run red lights, and also includes increased financial penalties when those same vehicles speed.
• GPS Requirements for Limos: This bill, S.6187-A, requires every stretch limo to have a commercial GPS while operating in New York State.
• Drug/Alcohol Testing: This bill, S.6186-A, mandates random drug and alcohol testing for for-hire vehicles carrying nine or more occupants.
• New Customer Service Resources: This bill, S.6185, creates an app, hotline, and website for New Yorkers to report safety and customer service issues with stretch limos.

“The legislation passed by the Senate Majority will help prevent future tragedies and builds on the new regulations for limousine operators that were passed in this year’s budget,” Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said. “I want to recognize the families who have suffered due to limousine accidents and who found the strength to advocate for stronger protections to save other families from sharing their grief going forward. The Senate Majority is committed to making communities safer and I commend Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, Senator Tim Kennedy, and the bill sponsors for advancing these important reforms.”