Bill Text: NY S02960 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Relates to adding a "School Bus Safety" awareness component to the pre-licensing driver's education course.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Passed) 2019-11-20 - SIGNED CHAP.513 [S02960 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S02960-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          2960
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                    January 31, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  Sen.  KAPLAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation
        AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in  relation  to  adding  a
          school  bus  safety  component to the pre-licensing driver's education
          course
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section  1.  Subparagraph  (i) of paragraph (a) and paragraphs (b) and
     2  (d) of subdivision 4 of section 502 of the vehicle and traffic  law,  as
     3  amended  by chapter 355 of the laws of 2017, are amended and a new para-
     4  graph (c-4) is added to read as follows:
     5    (i) Upon submission of an application  for  a  driver's  license,  the
     6  applicant  shall be required to take and pass a test, or submit evidence
     7  of passage of a test, with respect to the laws relating to traffic,  the
     8  laws  relating to driving while ability is impaired and while intoxicat-
     9  ed, under the overpowering influence of "Road Rage", "Work Zone  Safety"
    10  awareness  and  "Motorcycle  Safety" awareness as defined by the commis-
    11  sioner, the law relating to exercising due care to avoid colliding  with
    12  a  parked,  stopped  or  standing authorized emergency vehicle or hazard
    13  vehicle pursuant to section eleven hundred forty-four-a of this chapter,
    14  the ability to read and comprehend traffic signs and symbols, school bus
    15  safety and such other matters as the commissioner may prescribe, and  to
    16  satisfactorily  complete  a course prescribed by the commissioner of not
    17  less than four hours and not more than five hours, consisting of  class-
    18  room  driver  training  and highway safety instruction or the equivalent
    19  thereof. Such test  shall  include  at  least  seven  written  questions
    20  concerning the effects of consumption of alcohol or drugs on the ability
    21  of  a  person  to  operate  a  motor vehicle and the legal and financial
    22  consequences resulting from violations of section eleven  hundred  nine-
    23  ty-two  of  this  chapter,  prohibiting the operation of a motor vehicle
    24  while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Such test  shall  include
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD04788-01-9
        S. 2960                             2
     1  one  or  more  written  questions  concerning the devastating effects of
     2  "Road Rage" on the ability of a person to operate a  motor  vehicle  and
     3  the  legal and financial consequences resulting from assaulting, threat-
     4  ening  or  interfering with the lawful conduct of another person legally
     5  using the roadway.  Such  test  shall  include  one  or  more  questions
     6  concerning the potential dangers to persons and equipment resulting from
     7  the  unsafe  operation  of a motor vehicle in a work zone. Such test may
     8  include one or more questions concerning motorcycle  safety.  Such  test
     9  may  include one or more questions concerning the law for exercising due
    10  care to avoid colliding with  a  parked,  stopped  or  standing  vehicle
    11  pursuant  to  section eleven hundred forty-four-a of this chapter.  Such
    12  test shall include one or more questions concerning school  bus  safety.
    13  Such  test  shall  be administered by the commissioner. The commissioner
    14  shall cause the applicant to take a vision test and  a  test  for  color
    15  blindness.  Upon  passage  of  the  vision  test, the application may be
    16  accepted and the application fee shall be payable.
    17    (b) Upon successful completion of the requirements set forth in  para-
    18  graph  (a)  of  this subdivision which shall include an alcohol and drug
    19  education component as described in paragraph (c) of this subdivision, a
    20  "Road Rage" awareness component as described in paragraph (c-1) of  this
    21  subdivision and a "Work Zone Safety" awareness component as described in
    22  paragraph  (c-2) of this subdivision, [and] a "Motorcycle Safety" aware-
    23  ness component as described in paragraph (c-3) of this subdivision,  and
    24  a  "school bus safety" component as described in paragraph (c-4) of this
    25  subdivision the commissioner shall cause the applicant to  take  a  road
    26  test in a representative vehicle of a type prescribed by the commission-
    27  er  which shall be appropriate to the type of license for which applica-
    28  tion is made, except that the  commissioner  may  waive  the  road  test
    29  requirements  for  certain classes of applicants. The commissioner shall
    30  have the power to establish  a  program  to  allow  persons  other  than
    31  employees  of  the  department  to  conduct road tests in representative
    32  vehicles when such tests are required for applicants to obtain  a  class
    33  A,  B  or  C  license.  If she chooses to do so, she shall set forth her
    34  reasons in writing and conduct a public hearing on the matter. She shall
    35  only establish such a program after holding the public hearing.
    36    (c-4) "School  bus  safety"  component.  (i)  The  commissioner  shall
    37  provide  in the pre-licensing course, set forth in paragraph (b) of this
    38  subdivision, a mandatory component in "school bus safety" education as a
    39  prerequisite for obtaining a license to operate  a  motor  vehicle.  The
    40  purpose  of  the  component  is  to educate prospective licensees on the
    41  dangers of passing a school bus in violation of section  eleven  hundred
    42  seventy-four  of  this  chapter, to reduce the number of such incidents,
    43  and to promote school bus safety.
    44    (ii) The commissioner shall establish a curriculum for the "school bus
    45  safety" component which shall include, but shall not be limited  to,  an
    46  overview  of traffic laws governing overtaking and passing school buses,
    47  specifically section eleven hundred seventy-four of this chapter.
    48    (iii) In developing such curriculum, the  commissioner  shall  consult
    49  with the commissioner of transportation.
    50    (d) The commissioner shall make available for distribution upon regis-
    51  tration  at  each location where the pre-licensing course will be given,
    52  instructional handbooks outlining the content of the  entire  curriculum
    53  of  the  pre-licensing  course  including the information required to be
    54  included in the course pursuant to paragraphs (c), (c-1),  (c-2)  [and],
    55  (c-3) and (c-4) of this subdivision. The commissioner shall also provide
    56  for  the additional training of the instructors necessary for the compe-
        S. 2960                             3
     1  tent instruction of the alcohol and drug education, "Road  Rage"  aware-
     2  ness,  "Work Zone Safety" awareness [and], "Motorcycle Safety" awareness
     3  and "school bus safety" subject matters of the pre-licensing course.
     4    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.