Legislators take on wrong-way driving

The New York State Senate has passed legislation to enact felony charges for wrong-way and other reckless drivers, according to Sen. Charles Fuschillo Jr., a Republican from Merrick who sponsored the bill.

The legislation is in response to a significant number of arrests and car crashes involving individuals who drove the wrong way while under the influence of alcohol.

On Nov. 15, New York Police Department officer Andrew Menzies was killed after being struck by an accused wrong-way drunk driver on the Northern State Parkway. Since then, at least 20 such incidents of wrong-way driving have occurred on Long

Island alone.

“Wrong-way drivers and other reckless drivers repeatedly put lives at risk, and in some cases have caused tragedies,” said Fuschillo. “Law enforcement needs stronger tools to prosecute wrong-way and other reckless drivers and get them off the roads. I am pleased that the Senate has approved this legislation and am hopeful that the Assembly will soon join us in passing it.”

The legislation has been sent to the Assembly to be voted on.

Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg, a Democrat from Long Beach who is sponsoring the bill in the Assembly, said the legislation is now in the Assembly’s transportation committee, of which he is a member. Though he said he is uncertain as to whether the bill will pass, he said he is optimistic that it will.

“Albany is a strange place. You can’t predict anything,” Weisenberg said, noting that the best outcome would be for the bill to pass and for people to be made aware of the dangers of wrong-way driving. “I’m going to do everything I can do to get the bill passed,” he said.

The legislation would establish a new crime of aggravated reckless driving, which would apply to drivers who drive on roads the wrong way, against the flow of traffic, either knowingly or because they are intoxicated, and drivers who drive more than 30 miles per hour over the speed limit while intoxicated, impaired, racing, pursuing other vehicles or excessively weaving in and out of traffic.

Aggravated reckless driving would be a class E felony, punishable by a prison sentence of up to four years.

In addition, the legislation would raise the penalty for reckless driving to a class A misdemeanor punishable by a prison sentence of up to one year. Currently, reckless driving is an unclassified misdemeanor and carries a maximum jail sentence of 30 days.

Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice worked with Fuschillo to draft the legislation. “[The] actions by the State Senate are proof that New York will continue to lead the nation in the fight against reckless driving,” said Rice. “Wrong-way incidents have claimed too many lives for this violation to be ignored any longer.”

Chris Engelhardt contributed to this story. Comments about it? DWeingrad@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.