New crackdown driving law will force motorists to install new device – but motorists are angered it’s too lenient
A NEW driving law has been proposed to force drivers to install a new device. However, critics say the law is too lenient.
Reckless drivers in New York City could soon be forced to install a speed-limiting device in their cars if a bill goes into effect.
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The bill, proposed by New York Senator Andrew Gounardes and Rep. Emily Gallagher, was unveiled at a press conference earlier this month.
It is aimed at repeat offenders, i.e. drivers who have been issued at least six speeding tickets for automatic speed checks or red light penalties.
According to AMNY, they would have to install a speed limiter, called a “cruise controller,” in their vehicle, so it would not be possible to go more than five miles over the speed limit.
Since the speed limit in New York is 25 miles per hour, drivers with such devices are not allowed to drive faster than 30 miles per hour.
Speaking at a press conference on August 1, Gournardes said: “There is a persistent cohort of drivers who get 5, 6, 7, 10, 15, 20 speeding tickets and drive recklessly on our roads with no consequences, and only with one .” Slap on the wrist, slap on the wrist every time.
“These are the most dangerous drivers on our roads.”
He added, “If you have a known history of speeding or reckless driving on our city’s streets, we will literally force you to slow down.”
Meanwhile, speeding survivors who supported this new type of intervention were also in attendance at the news conference on Brooklyn’s Atlantic Avenue, reports CBS News
Kate Brockwehl, who was struck by a vehicle in 2017, said at the press conference: “In a large percentage of these cases, speeding was the factor that killed their loved one.”
The bill would require drivers who receive six or more speeding tickets in a year or 11 or more points on their driver’s license in 18 months to install the device.
City Councilman Lincoln Restler said at the press conference, “We know this type of drunk driving intervention works.”
“Balcohol testing tests that prevent drivers from starting their car until they have proven they are sober. It’s exactly the same approach.”
However, some say the rules are too lenient.
For example, Brooklyn resident Allison Tray complained to CBS News, “This is shocking. That’s like saying you have six chances to harm someone before you’re held accountable for it.”
Another resident said: “Give them three. Three is enough. We’ll do something after three.”
According to the news agency, lawmakers said the drives with the most violations required the device to have been installed for at least 12 months.
In addition, tests on municipal vehicles in New York showed that drivers with this device in their car obeyed the speed limit 99% of the time.
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