Crackdown Will Impound Cars Of Reckless Drivers With Many Violations

From CBS New York:

NEW YORK CITY – New York City is taking steps to curb reckless driving with a new law that will target drivers who have received multiple red light and speeding violations.

The law was passed by the City Council Tuesday.

The program will require registered owners of vehicles that have racked up five or more red light violations or 15 or more school zone speed camera violations within a year to complete a traffic safety course.

“People go through red lights every day,” one driver told CBS2.

“Speeding, running lights,” another person added. “They’re always in a hurry to go nowhere.”

Councilman Brad Lander, of Brooklyn, introduced the legislation after a crash two years ago that killed Joshua Lew, 1, and Abigail Blumenstein, 4, both of Park Slope, who were crossing an intersection in the neighborhood with their mothers. The driver had a history of reckless driving.

Lander said more than 200 people are killed in crashes each year in the city.

“We pledge to take action, to target the most reckless driving, and to intervene with the owners and drivers of those vehicle before they injure or kill more of our neighbors,” he said Tuesday.

“Reckless driving is a public health epidemic in New York,” Rachel Jones, of Families For Safe Streets, added.

The three-year pilot program will be created by the Department of Transportation.

“The city is also in the process of the largest speed camera program maybe in the world,” said DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg.

City Council Speaker Corey Johnson said vehicles with multiple infractions are more likely to be involved in crashes than those with few or no violations.

“It’s very simple and clear: Slow down,” he said.

Camera infractions currently go to the registered owner of the vehicle, not necessarily the driver. The city says if a vehicle owner cannot prove they were not the one driving and does not take the course, the vehicle could be impounded until the course is completed.

Many of the drivers that CBS2’s Kiran Dhillon spoke with said they’re on board.

“I think some of these issues are important. You have school zones, you have a number of things that require extra safety. So I wouldn’t enjoy doing it, but I would support it being done,” one man said.

Still, others said taking away someone’s vehicle may be going too far.

“Impounding cars while driving in Manhattan, which his already a risky proposition, I think that may be a little bit overboard,” said another man.