The Governor Of New York Is Looking To Ban Stretch Limos

Late last year a tragic limo accident killed 20 people in New York. As a direct result of that, Ny governor, Andrew Cuomo, wants to introduce a series of transportation safety reforms including an outright ban on long limos.

The horrific accident has been described as the “deadliest U.S accident in nine years,” after 17 passengers in a stretched Ford Excursion limousine, the vehicle’s driver, and two pedestrians died in the small upstate town of Schoharie, NY. The following report revealed that the limo had failed its last safety inspection and should not have been on the road.

Governor Cuomo’s office is hoping that increased regulation will prevent another tragic incident from happening and is introducing transportation reforms in the 2019 budget. According to the governor’s website, this is the outline:

– An outright ban on the registration of remanufactufor-hireusines, prohibiting their operation in New York State
– Require drivers to hold a commercial driver license with a special passenger endorsement to operate a for hire vehicle with 8 or more passengers
– Make it a felony to remove an out of service sticker placed by a DOT inspector from a vehicle without having the vehicle re-inspected and cleared by DOT to return to service; Increase the civil penalty to a maximum fine of $25,000 per violation for any person found operating with suspended DOT operating authority or operating a vehicle without such authority and subject such actors to felony prosecution
– Establish stronger registration suspension and vehicle impoundment powers, including an explicit process for immediate suspension of operating authority by the DOT Commissioner in circumstances that endanger the health, safety, and welfare of the public; Explicitly authorize DOT and DMV to seize suspended license plates;
– Make it a felony for any owner/operator to tamper with a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard tag or vehicle inspection sticker; Ensure vehicle impoundment occurs for purposes of felony violations and subject multiple violators to the potential for civil forfeiture of vehicle
– Require mandatory reporting by inspection stations to DMV if a vehicle attempts an unauthorized inspection
– Create new criminal penalties for any DMV-regulated inspection station that illegally issues an inspection sticker
– Prohibit U-turns for larger vehicles on all roads within the state
– Eliminate the exception to seatbelt requirements for limousines, buses, taxis, liveries, and school buses
– Establish a DOT inspection fee of $120 per inspection for vehicles subject to such inspection.

Do you think these regulations would add safety for motorists? Let us know in the comments.