What's happening
This bill requires all taxi and livery passengers age eight and older, regardless of seat, to wear seat belts.
Why it matters
Expands safety standards to more passengers. By requiring all taxi and livery passengers age eight and older to wear seat belts, the bill closes a loophole that previously exempted many back seat riders, potentially reducing injuries and fatalities in accidents.
Places responsibility on both drivers and passengers. The bill makes it illegal for drivers to operate a taxi or livery unless all passengers ages 8–15 are buckled up, increasing the accountability of both drivers and passengers for safety compliance.
Aligns taxi/livery rules with private vehicle laws. This change brings seat belt requirements for taxis and liveries more in line with those for private vehicles, signaling a shift toward equal safety expectations regardless of the type of car service used.
Could affect ride-share and professional driving industries. Drivers and companies may need to update training, post new signage, and enforce compliance, possibly leading to operational changes and new conversations about passenger responsibility and enforcement in the taxi and ride-hailing sectors.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Seat Belts Required in Taxis
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Substituted by A8990
- Ordered to third reading cal.83
- Reported and committed to rules
- 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.
Seat Belts Required in Taxis
Signed by Governor · Sponsor William Magnarelli
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
7134
IN SENATE
January 8, 2020
Introduced by Sen. HOYLMAN -- 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 safety belt requirements for taxis and livery vehicles
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subdivision 3-c of section 1229-c of the vehicle and traffic law, as added by chapter 340 of the laws of 2017, is amended and a new paragraph (c) is added to read as follows:
(b) No person sixteen years of age or over shall be a passenger in [the front seat of] a taxi or livery unless such person is restrained by a safety belt approved by the commissioner.
(c) No person shall operate a taxi or livery unless all passengers who are age eight or older but under age sixteen are restrained by a safety belt approved by the commissioner.
§ 2. Subdivision 9 of section 1229-c of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by chapter 340 of the laws of 2017, is amended to read as follows:
9. Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision four of this section, the provisions of this section shall not apply to buses other than school buses and the provisions of subdivisions one, two, three and three-a of this section shall not apply to taxis and liveries except that the provisions of subdivision three-a of this section shall be applicable to any person operating a taxi or livery and to taxi and livery passengers age eight or older.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14169-02-9
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 safety belt requirements for taxis and livery vehicles
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS
Section 1 of the bill amends the Vehicle and Traffic Law (VTL) to provide that anyone 16 years of age or older is required to wear a seat belt in a taxi or livery.
It also prohibits taxi or livery drivers from operating their vehicle unless all passengers between the ages of eight and 15 are restrained by a seat belt.
Section 2 of the bill amends the VTL to eliminate the current exemption for taxis and liveries from wearing both portions of a combination lap and shoulder seat belt system.
JUSTIFICATION
Seat belts save lives and help prevent serious injuries in a traffic crash. This is why New York State requires seat belt use in motor vehi- cles.
The damage and trauma of a passenger not wearing a seatbelt in a taxi or for-hire vehicle during a crash is exactly the same as those passengers hurt while riding in any other type of motor vehicle. While progress was made applying the seat belt requirement to front-seat passengers in these vehicles in 2017, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) renewed its recommendation that all vehicle passengers - including those in for-hire vehicles - wear seat belt use mandates after studying the 2018 Schoharie stretch limousine crash (Report HSR1902).
This legislation requires passengers in taxis and for-hire vehicles operating throughout the state to wear safety belts while the vehicles are operating.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
New bill.
Fiscal implications
No negative impact to state anticipated.
EFFECTIVE DATE November 1 next succeeding the date on which it shall become law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.