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A1853Assembly2019-2020 Session

Expand Emergency Vehicle Powers

Official title

“Relates to operation of an authorized emergency vehicle”

Sponsor J. Gary PretlowAD-89Affects Transportation
Status
In Assembly Committee
Transportation
Impact
3/10
Low
Passage
0%

Bill progress

Step 2 of 7

In committee · Transportation

What's happening

This bill allows authorized emergency vehicles to operate in any manner necessary while engaged in emergency operations.

Why it matters

  1. Expands emergency vehicle discretion. By allowing authorized emergency vehicles to operate "in any manner necessary" during emergencies, the bill gives drivers of these vehicles broader legal protection and flexibility to respond quickly to urgent situations.

  2. Potentially impacts public safety and liability. The new language could affect how courts interpret accidents or incidents involving emergency vehicles, possibly making it harder for non-emergency motorists or pedestrians to claim the emergency vehicle operator was driving recklessly.

  3. Clarifies and updates existing law. The bill adds explicit language to what emergency vehicles can legally do, potentially reducing ambiguity for law enforcement, courts, and first responders about what maneuvers are justified in emergencies.

  4. Implications for accountability. While the intent is to enhance emergency response, the expanded allowance may raise concerns about oversight and the need for clear guidelines or training to ensure such broad authority is used responsibly.

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Who cares

Headline styles

Expand Emergency Vehicle Powers

Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.

Sponsors

Primary sponsor
J. Gary Pretlow

Assembly Member · Assembly District 89

Chair, Ways and Means

No co-sponsors yet.

History

  1. Referred to transportation
  2. Referred to transportation

Full text

1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗

STATE OF NEW YORK

1853

2019-2020 Regular Sessions

IN ASSEMBLY

January 17, 2019

Introduced by M. of A. PRETLOW -- read once and referred to the Committee on Transportation

AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to operation of an authorized emergency vehicle

The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:

Section 1. Paragraph 4 of subdivision (b) of section 1104 of the vehicle and traffic law is amended and a new paragraph 5 is added to read as follows:

4. Disregard regulations governing directions of movement or turning in specified directions[.];

5. Operate an authorized emergency vehicle in any manner necessary to engage in an emergency operation.

§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

[ ] is old law to be omitted.

LBD05395-01-9

Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.

Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.