Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., New York State Senator Timothy M. Kennedy, and New York State Senator Brad Hoylman, last week announced the introduction of a bill establishing a new article in the State’s Penal Law entitled “Vehicular Violence,” which establishes four new offenses including the class A misdemeanor “Death by Vehicle,” and class B misdemeanor “Serious Physical Injury by Vehicle.” The legislation was drafted by the D.A.’s Office on the recommendation of a New York State Grand Jury empaneled by D.A. Vance.
D.A. Vance said: “While other types of crime drop to historic lows across New York, we are experiencing an epidemic of vehicular violence . Today, we are announcing a bill which fixes laws that are fundamentally broken, so that more drivers who injure or kill can be held accountable. The Vehicular Violence Accountability Act is our effort to make sure that on the criminal justice side, we are doing all that we can to ensure that dangerous drivers face accountability.
Senator Hoylman said: “In 2019, there have already been 171 traffic fatalities in New York City—and the number of victims continues to grow. As this new grand jury report from the District Attorney’s office shows, we need strong new state laws to hold drivers accountable for causing serious physical injury or death while behind the wheel. I look forward to working with Manhattan D.A. Vance, advocates like Transportation Alternatives, and my colleagues in the Legislature to craft new laws to protect pedestrians and make our streets safer.”
Thank you Senator Hoylman for introducing this critical legislation .