SENATE PASSES ROAD RAGE BILLS

Wednesday, May 31, 2000

The New York State Senate today passed two bills to address the growing problem of road rage. The bills are designed to educate drivers about the dangers of road rage and crack down on aggressive drivers through stiff penalties.

One bill, sponsored by Senator James S. Alesi (R, Monroe County) would provide preventative road rage education and a bill sponsored by Senator Michael F. Nozzolio (R-C, Fayette) would establish criminal penalties for aggressive driving.

"We must act quickly to address the frequency of overly aggressive driving on our roadways," Senator Alesi said. "With the exception of DWI, road rage is the most serious traffic safety problem in New York State. It was through education and prevention that we were able to raise awareness about the dangers of DWI. Education and prevention are the key components of this comprehensive proposal. We must send a clear message that dangerous and deadly driving will not be tolerated."

The bill (S.84C) would require that pre-licensing courses and defensive driving courses include a section on Road Rage awareness, including explaining the causes of road rage and the increased penalties for accidents where road rage was a contributing factor. In addition, the bill would require at least one road rage question be included on driving tests.

Legislation sponsored by Senator Nozzolio (S.5505A) would establish the felony-level crime of aggressive driving. The bill would also increase the penalty for speeding up in order to not allow a vehicle to legally pass you on the left to a misdemeanor. It is currently a violation.

"I firmly believe that these tragedies warrant stricter penalties, and I firmly believe that there is a need to increase penalties for individuals who use a motor vehicle as a weapon," Senator Nozzolio said. "A car in the hands of an overly aggressive driver can have the same effect as a gun in the hands of a murderer. We cannot tolerate mayhem on wheels in New York State."
"Road rage is one of the fastest growing safety concerns on our roads," Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno said. "We must adopt a 'no tolerance' policy in dealing with this type of dangerous and aggressive driving through preventative education and strong penalties for people who terrorize others on the highways."

A study conducted by the American Automobile Association (AAA) found that reported road rage incidents have increased 51 percent since 1990; 37 percent of offenders used firearms, 28 percent used other weapons, 35 percent used their vehicles. The AAA study also concluded that an average of at least 1,5000 people are injured or killed in the United States each year as a result of aggressive driving.

A telephone survey of 800 drivers in New York State for the Governor's Traffic Safety committee found that almost 72 percent of respondents believe drivers are more aggressive than five years ago and 55 percent said they see dangerously aggressive driving almost every day. More than 90 percent supported increased penalties for road rage or criminally aggressive driving.

The bills were sent to the Assembly.

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