Legislature must not let limo laws languish
The horrific Schoharie limo crash last year which took the lives of 20 people, was a terrible tragedy that should never have happened.
All the individuals were doing what they thought was the right and safe thing by using a limousine service to enjoy a day out together and are now being grieved by family and loved ones.
One of the victims, Patrick Cushing, was a Senate Information Technology staff member, who was in my office the day before the crash and repaired a printer. He was a wonderful and valued member of the senate and we mourn his passing as we do all the victims.
A new report by the National Transportation Safety Board suggests that some of the passengers in that limo could have survived had they been wearing properly installed lap and shoulder harness rear seatbelts. Rear seatbelts were not visibly available and not properly installed in the Schoharie crash.
Another crash on Long Island in 2015 took the lives of four people and left four others seriously injured.
Meanwhile, every day the state legislature fails to act is another day, the lives of New Yorkers are at risk.
As elected representatives we have a responsibility to protect their public safety and to learn what went wrong and do our best to help prevent something like this from ever happening again.
Following my discussions with some of the Schoharie crash victims’ family, several of whom were my constituents, I requested, and the Senate Transportation Committee held hearings on this issue. I was just one of three state Senators to take part in the Albany hearing.
In June, my Senate colleagues and I passed a holistic package of nine bills as a result of feedback we received at the hearings.
The common sense traffic safety legislation that I co-sponsored and voted for in the Senate will require limos to have rear lap and should harness seat belts, rollover protection devices, and global positioning system technology, as well as drug and alcohol testing for drivers. Additionally, the bills increase penalties for illegal U-Turns and other traffic infractions committed by an operator of a stretch limo, and require increased insurance limits for certain for-hire vehicles.
It authorizes the DMV to immobilize or impound limos that are in violation of safety standards and creates a reporting system through a smart phone app and toll-free hotline for consumers to report safety concerns. The legislation also establishes a state passenger safety task force to review and make additional safety recommendations related to limousines.
Unfortunately, the Assembly passed its own series of bills that were similar but did not contain the exact same language as the Senate’s legislation. Both houses ended session for the year without coming to a final agreement.
Since then, I have been calling for the legislature to return to Albany and get back to the negotiating table to get these traffic safety bills agreed upon and passed.
The recent release of the initial federal NTSB Report on the Schoharie limo crash and its recommendation for properly installed seat belts in all passenger positions in limousines is bittersweet and should be a wake-up call to the Senate and Assembly Majorities to iron-out their differences ASAP and get this legislation and other limo safety bills passed to protect the public and prevent further loss of life.
Meanwhile, the limo laws continue to languish putting lives at risk. My colleagues in both houses have to forget about pride of authorship and put the safety of New Yorkers first.
They should remember, if the individual doesn’t care who gets the credit, the group can achieve incredible results.
The families of the victims have waited long enough while the rest of the family of New York State is still endangered by the existing antiquated laws! I want to thank the families for their activism in moving the legislature forward with traffic safety reforms.
It’s time for the Leaders to call us all back and get this important legislation passed and signed by the Governor.
We need to get back to session, as I’ve called for since the end of June, and put the limo safety laws on the books.
Let’s get this done as soon as possible in memory of the victims and to prevent future tragedies. We owe it to all New Yorkers. Senator Jim Tedisco (R,C,I-REF-Glenville) represents the 49th State Senate District which includes parts of Saratoga, Schenectady and Herkimer Counties and all of Fulton and Hamilton Counties