A law fining hit-and-run drivers in New York City has gone into effect with the New Year.
Over the past year, 15 bills and resolutions aimed at traffic safety were passed quickly by City Council. It is part of the mayor’s Vision Zero initiative to reduce all traffic fatalities to zero within a decade. Some of the new laws have created entirely new penalties all users of the road should be aware of.
The “Justice for Hit-and-Run Victims Act” establishes new civil penalties for drivers who flee the scene of a crash. They will be fined $500 if there is property damage, $1,000–$2,000 if someone is injured, $2,000–$10,000 if there is a serious injury, and $5,000–$10,000 if the crash results in a death.
Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer, who sponsored the bill, is starting off the year by reminding drivers to use the roads responsibly.
“I was moved to introduce this bill in response to the death of three people who were killed in my district by drivers who fled the scene,” Van Bramer wrote in a statement.
NYC Vision Zero’s New Penalties for Drivers in Effect
A law fining hit-and-run drivers in New York City has gone into effect with the New Year.
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A digital board displays safety messages in front of Penn Station in Manhattan, N.Y., on Sept. 10, 2014. A law fining hit-and-run drivers in New York City has gone into effect with the New Year. Samira Bouaou/Epoch Times
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We will not rest until we achieve Vision Zero.
