Requires private passenger motor vehicle insurance premium reductions for automobiles equipped with hydrophobic glass treatment

Title of bill

An act to amend the insurance law, in relation to providing for premium reductions for comprehensive motor vehicle insurance coverage with respect to private passenger vehicles equipped with hydrophobic glass treatment

Purpose

To provide a comprehensive motor vehicle insurance coverage discount for private passenger vehicles equipped with hydrophobic glass treatment.

Summary of provisions

Section 1 of the bill adds a new subsection (i) to section 2336 of the insurance law to provide for premium reductions to comprehensive motor vehicle insurance coverage for private passenger vehicles equipped with hydrophobic glass treatment. "Hydrophobic glass treatment" shall mean any transparent chemical coating that binds with, and changes the surface chemistry of, laminated or tempered glazing to minimize the level of contact between the glazing surface and water that comes into contact with that surface. Section 2 provides the effective date.

Justification

Hydrophobic glass treatment generally involves the application of liquid polymers that bind with motor vehicle glazing. These transparent coatings act as water repellents, causing rain and other accumulated moisture to bead up, enabling the water to easily run off the vehicle's windshield and other windows. Hydrophobic glass treatments have been used for some time in aviation, and are widely available as car care products.

According to research conducted by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute ("The Influence of Hydrophobic Windshield Coating on Driver Visual Performance," Report No. UMTRI-97-31, July 1997), the application of hydrophobic glass treatment to the windshield of an automobile, under simulated rainy-driving conditions, resulted in significantly improved visual acuity and decreased driver response time to recognize a simple target. This research also demonstrated that hydrophobic glass treatment appears to provide the greatest benefit at night, where visual acuity through treated glass improved to approximately the level of acuity of untreated glass in the daytime.

Providing a comprehensive motor vehicle insurance coverage discount for private passenger vehicles equipped with hydrophobic glass treatment will encourage greater use of these products which will have a positive effect on improving safety on New York's roadways.

Legislative history

2013-2014: S.4551 Died in Insurance 2011-2012: S.7536 Died in Insurance

Fiscal implications

None.

Effective date

This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law and shall apply to all policies issued, renewed, modified, altered or amended on or after such date.