What's happening
This bill makes it a crime to supervise a driver while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, creating new misdemeanor and felony offenses.
Why it matters
Expands criminal liability to supervising drivers. The bill closes a legal loophole by making it illegal for someone who is under the influence of alcohol or drugs to supervise a driver with a permit or junior license, recognizing that supervision by an impaired individual can be as dangerous as impaired driving itself.
Introduces new misdemeanor and felony charges. By creating both misdemeanor and felony offenses for supervising while impaired, the law increases the potential consequences for adults or guardians who put novice drivers and the public at risk, aligning penalties with those for actual impaired driving.
Targets the safety of permit and junior drivers. Since learners and junior license holders are generally required to drive under supervision, this law aims to ensure that the person responsible for their guidance and oversight is sober and capable of intervening if necessary, enhancing overall road safety.
May influence parental and guardian behavior. The new law could encourage greater responsibility among parents and adults who supervise young or inexperienced drivers, potentially reducing accidents and fatalities involving supervised novice drivers.
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Ban Drunk Driving Supervision
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
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History
- Referred to transportation
- Referred to transportation
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Ban Drunk Driving Supervision
In Senate Committee · Transportation · Sponsor Robert Ortt
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
3650
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 30, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. GUNTHER -- read once and referred to the Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to acting as a supervising driver while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as "Abbagail's Law".
§ 2. The vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding a new section 1192-b to read as follows:
§ 1192-b. Supervising a driver while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. 1. No person shall act as a supervising driver pursuant to section five hundred one or five hundred one-b of this chapter if such person would be in violation of subdivision one, two, three, four or four-a of section eleven hundred ninety-two of this article if he or she were operating the vehicle.
Supervising a driver while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs shall be a class A misdemeanor.
2. Aggravated supervising a driver while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. No person shall act as a supervising driver pursuant to section five hundred one or five hundred one-b of this chapter if such person would be in violation of subdivision two-a of section eleven hundred ninety-two of this article if he or she were operating the vehicle.
Aggravated supervising a driver while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs shall be a class E felony.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00482-01-9
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.