CM Lander Introduces Bill To Get Dangerous Drivers Off Streets

PARK SLOPE, NY — A new bill could kick reckless drivers off the city's streets and force them to take a class to get their car back, Councilman Brad Lander announced last week.

The Reckless Driver Accountability Act, introduced into the City Council on Thursday, would boot or impound cars that rack up five red-light or speed camera violations within a year until their owners take a safe driving course.

"Even with the good work we’ve done through Vision Zero, being hit by a vehicle is the main cause of injury-related death for children under 14, and the second most common cause for seniors in New York City," Lander said in a statement. "The Reckless Driver Accountability Act takes an innovative, data-driven, and restorative approach that will make NYC a leader in reducing dangerous driving and saving lives."

Under the proposed law, the city would notify drivers who rack up four red-light or speed camera violations that they need to take a safe driving course to stop from getting a boot in the future.

If they get a fifth violation, they'll be required to take the class within 10 days or their car will get impounded. They won't be able to get their car back until they take the course.

The courses would be modeled after ones currently in use in Red Hook that force drivers to watch video testimonials from family members who lost loved ones in crashes.

The bill would target about 26,000 drivers that get at least five violations from the cameras a year, just one percent of motorists in the city, according to Lander.

Lander's bill comes months after a Dorothy Bruns, 44, ran a red light at the intersection of Ninth Street and Fifth Avenue and slammed into five pedestrians. The crash killed Abigail Blumenstein, 4, and Joshua Lew, 1 and injured their mothers Ruthie Ann Blumenstein and Laure Lew.

Ruthie Ann Blumenstein, an actress who performs under the name Ruthie Ann Miles, was pregnant at the time and later lost her unborn daughter from her injuries.

Bruns, who has a history of seizures, was indicted for manslaughter for the crash after prosecutors said she was told by doctors to stay off the road but kept driving anyway.

The 2016 Volvo S60 Bruns drove had 12 violation issued to it in the past two years, including four for running red lights and four for speeding in school zones, police said. Officials previously said since they were issued to the license plate it's impossible to tell who was behind the wheel at the time.

Mayor Bill de Blasio started a push for new state laws after the crash to hold owners accountable for their vehicle after the crash.

"You shouldn't be able to hide behind the fact that a car is registered to you but maybe someone else was driving," de Blasio previously said. "You have to take responsibility for your own vehicle."

Image: Nicholas Rizzi/Patch