N.Y.C. Admin. Code § L.L. 2005/098: L.L. 2005/098

Enactment date: 12/1/2005

Int. No. 343-A

By Council Members Vallone Jr., Clarke, Fidler, Foster, Gennaro, Gentile, Gerson, Nelson, Reed, Rivera, Sanders Jr., Sears, Weprin, Liu, Palma, Katz, Seabrook and The Public Advocate (Ms. Gotbaum)

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to increasing the fines for the offense of failing to yield the right of way to emergency vehicles en route to an emergency.

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

Section 1. Legislative findings and intent. Traffic congestion in New York presents an ongoing problem to emergency services. Emergency vehicles en route to an emergency are often forced to contend with stubbornly apathetic drivers who refuse to yield the right of way.

State law currently sets the fine schedule for consecutive traffic infractions. The density of the population in New York City, however, increases not only automobile congestion, but also the number of emergency situations that arise and the scale of the response required to address many emergencies, thus posing a risk to public safety and health. Drivers who are unwilling to yield the roadway for emergency vehicles obstruct not only emergency vehicles, but also other drivers who attempt to yield the roadway. Many of the city's roadways are narrow enough that one such unwilling driver has the ability to obstruct completely the progress of an emergency vehicle.

The City Council, in an effort to protect those in emergency situations by opening up the city's streets to emergency vehicles, creates a new section of the administrative code that increases the fines for failing to yield the right of way for an emergency vehicle.

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[Consolidated provisions are not included in this Appendix A]

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§ 3. This local law shall take effect immediately.