What's happening
This bill requires large trucks operating in New York City to be equipped with side under-ride guards for safety.
Why it matters
Targets High-Risk Trucks. The bill specifically applies to large trucks (26,000+ lbs) with conventional cab designs operating in New York City, addressing vehicles most likely to be involved in fatal side under-ride crashes with pedestrians and cyclists.
City-Specific Safety Focus. By limiting the requirement to cities with more than one million residents (effectively, New York City), the law targets areas with the highest density of vulnerable road users and the greatest risk of truck-related side-impact injuries.
Regulatory Flexibility and Implementation. The bill delegates the specifics of under-ride guard design and installation to the state commissioner, allowing for adaptation to evolving safety standards and truck technologies rather than prescribing a one-size-fits-all solution.
Protection Against Federal Funding Loss. The legislation includes a safeguard to automatically repeal the requirement if it is found to jeopardize federal transportation funding, balancing local safety priorities with broader fiscal responsibilities.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Require Truck Side Guards
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred to transportation
- Referred to transportation
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
272
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE (Prefiled)
January 4, 2017
Introduced by Sens. HOYLMAN, KRUEGER -- 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 requiring certain vehicles to be equipped with side under-ride guards; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 375 of the vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding a new subdivision 10-f to read as follows:
10-f. Every truck, tractor, and tractor-trailer or semitrailer combination registered in this state having a gross vehicle weight rating of twenty-six thousand pounds or more, and a conventional cab configuration in which more than half of the engine length is forward of the foremost point of the windshield base and the steering wheel hub is in the forward quarter of the vehicle length, whenever operated within a city having a population of one million or more on highways other than controlled-access highways, shall be equipped with side under-ride guards affixed to the sides of such vehicles in a manner consistent with rules and regulations that shall be promulgated by the commissioner, in consultation with the commissioner of transportation.
§ 2. This act shall be deemed repealed if any federal agency or any court of competent jurisdiction finally determines that this act would render New York state ineligible for the receipt of federal funds.
§ 3. Severability. If any clause, sentence, subdivision, paragraph, section or part of this act be adjudged by any court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, such judgment shall not affect, impair or invalidate the remainder thereof, but shall be confined in its operation to the clause, sentence, subdivision, paragraph, section or part thereof directly involved in the controversy in which such judgment shall have been rendered.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05183-01-7
S. 272 2
§ 4. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it shall have become a law; provided, however, that effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date is authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date; and provided that the commissioner of the department of transportation shall notify the legislative bill drafting commission upon the occurrence of the provisions of section two of this act in order that the commission may maintain an accurate data base of the official text of the laws of the state of New York in furtherance of effecting the provisions of section 44 of the legislative law and section 70-b of the public officers law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to requiring certain vehicles to be equipped with side under-ride guards; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof
Purpose or general idea of bill
Requires every truck, tractor, and tractor-trailer or semi-trailer combination registered in New York which meets certain conditions to be equipped with side under-ride guards while operating in New York City on highways other than controlled-access highways.
Summary of specific provisions
Section 1 of the bill amends Section 375 of the vehicle and traffic law by adding a new subdivision 10-f. This subdivision mandates that certain vehicles be equipped with side under-ride guards while in operation on New York City highways, and directs the Commissioner of the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles, in consultation with the Commissioner of the NYS Department of Transportation, to promulgate rules and regulations for the proper standards and specifications of the side under-ride guards.
Read the full memo (683 words)
Section 2 of the bill states that the act will be repealed if any federal agency or court determines that the act would render New York State ineligible for the receipt of federal funds.
Section 3 of the bill is a severability clause.
Section 4 of the bill states that the bill shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it shall have become a law; provided, however, that effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date is authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date; and provided that the commissioner of the department of transportation shall notify the legislative bill drafting commission upon the occurrence of the provisions of section two of this act in order that the commission may maintain an accurate data base of the official text of the laws of the state of New York in furtherance of effecting the provisions of section 44 of the legislative law and section 70-b of the public officers law.
Justification
Crashes involving large vehicles like tractor-trailers are three times as likely to result in the death of a pedestrian than crashes only involving passenger vehicles. This bill would ensure that large trucks driving on the streets of New York City are equipped with features designed to protect the safety of pedestrians, cyclists, and other vehicles.
This bill requires New York State-registered trucks, tractors, and tractor-trailers weighing 26,000 pounds or more to be equipped with side under-ride guards when operated in New York City. Such guards are required in Japan and several European nations, and can greatly reduce fatalities by keeping pedestrians, cyclists, and other vehicles from sliding under the side of large trucks.
This bill is modeled after the legislation that was enacted in 2011 requiring the same classification of vehicles to have convex mirrors installed when traversing the streets of New York City. There is a provision stating that if this legislation jeopardizes the state's eligibility for federal funds, it shall be repealed. PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :
S.65 of 2015-2016 (Hoylman): Died in Transportation A.2502 of 2015-2016 (Rozic): Died in Transportation S.6648 of 2014 (Hoylman): Died in Transportation A.9415 of 2014 (Rozic): Died in Transportation
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it shall have become a law; provided, however, that effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date is authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date; and provided that the commissioner of the department of transportation shall notify the legislative bill drafting commission upon the occurrence of the provisions of section two of this act in order that the commission may maintain an accurate data base of the official text of the laws of the state of New York in furtherance of effecting the provisions of section 44 of the legislative law and section 70-b of the public officers law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.