What's happening
This bill requires insurance companies to offer premium reductions for cars with hydrophobic glass treatment on their windows.
Why it matters
Encourages safer driving conditions. by incentivizing the use of hydrophobic glass treatment, which can improve visibility during rain and adverse weather, potentially reducing accidents and claims.
May lower insurance costs for drivers. who choose to apply hydrophobic coatings to their car windows, making this safety enhancement more accessible and financially attractive.
Could drive innovation and demand. in the automotive aftermarket industry, as both manufacturers and service providers may respond to increased consumer interest in hydrophobic treatments due to insurance savings.
Reflects a shift in insurance risk assessment. , as insurers begin to recognize and reward small technological upgrades that reduce overall claim risk, potentially paving the way for similar incentives for other safety features in the future.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Discounts for Treated Car Glass
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Senator · Senate District 4
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to insurance
- Referred to insurance
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
641
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 4, 2017
Introduced by Sen. BOYLE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Insurance
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
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 2336 of the insurance law is amended by adding a new subsection (i) to read as follows:
(i) Any schedule or rating plan for non-commercial private passenger automobile insurance shall provide for an appropriate reduction in premium charges for comprehensive coverage with respect to any insured vehicle equipped with hydrophobic glass treatment. The term "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.
§ 2. 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.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05398-01-7
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
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
2015-2016, Died in insurance 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.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.