Extends provisions of law relating to adjudications and owner liability for a violation of traffic-control signal indications in Suffolk county

BILL NUMBER:S7648

Title of bill

An act to amend chapter 23 of the laws of 2009, amending the vehicle and traffic law and the public officers law relating to adjudications and owner liability for a violation of traffic-control signal indications, in relation to extending the provisions of such chapter

Purpose or general idea of bill

To reduce incidents of red light running in Suffolk County, thereby enhancing public safety.

Summary of specific provisions

This bill amends section 9 of Chapter 23 of the Laws of 2009 to extend the Suffolk county red-light camera program for another five years.

Justification

Aggressive driving, including running red lights, is a significant reason for a reported increase in the percentage of fatalities occurring at intersections as noted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Red light running accidents are often the worst type of accident; they often involve speed and right-angle impacts, which can lead to the most severe injuries. In New York State, 30% of reported vehicular accidents in 1998 occurred at signalized intersections. Of those, 244 involved fatalities, which is just over 17% of all fatal accidents that occurred statewide that year. Of more than 18,000 pedestrian accidents occurring in the same period, 33% were at signalized intersections.

In 1988, the New York State Legislature first enacted legislation that allowed the establishment of a demonstration program to install photo violation-monitoring devices to record vehicles running through red light signals at traffic intersections in NYC. When a vehicle runs through a red light, sensors embedded in the roadway trigger the camera which takes a sequence of photographs of the rear of the car, showing at each point the car running the red light. Red light cameras are used in 539 cities and towns nation-wide. This technology is presently in use in over 125 cities and towns spread across several states including Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, and Washington.

In 2009, the State of New York permitted the county of Suffolk to establish a red-light camera demonstration program at no more than 100 intersections that is expiring on December 1, 2014. This program should be extended another five years so that the county continues to monitor red-light traffic violations and is able to make its streets safer for all residents.

Prior legislative history

New bill.

Fiscal implications

None to the State.

Effective date

Immediately.