State cracks down on wrong-way driving

The New York State Senate has passed legislation to create 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 November 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 (D-Long Beach), a sponsor of the bill, said that the bill is currently 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 remains optimistic.

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

The legislation establishes a new crime against aggravated reckless driving, which would apply to drivers who drive down the 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 to 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 prison sentence of 30 days.

Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen rice worked jointly with Fuschillo in drafting 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.”