A bill to extend the operation of New York State’s 11-person Stretch Limousine Passenger Safety Task Force is facing opposition from Gov. Kathy Hochul, who says she wants to save the state money. The task force was formed after a tragic accident in Schoharie, NY that took the lives of 20 people, and has recommended a bunch of new limo safety laws.
The recommended bills seek to require stretch limousines to be outfitted with cages, anti-intrusion bars, window break tools and fire extinguishers, and operators would be compelled to perform pre-trip safety briefings similar to those given on airlines. They would also require the Department of Transportation to update its Safe Limo NY website to include federal data about limo companies; increase criminal penalties for operators that rent out limos with multiple failed inspections; make it easier to seize limos that fail inspections; and require limos be taken off the road after 10 years or 350,000 miles.
New York State’s Transportation Committee voted unanimously in late-January to approve the legislation, but it faced limo industry opposition in 2023 and never passed the Assembly.
The Schoharie crash was blamed on brake failure caused by a lack of maintenance by Prestige operator Nauman Hussain, who is serving a 5-to-15-year state prison sentence after being convicted on 20 counts of second-degree manslaughter in May.
In Nov., Hochul vetoed a bill to extend the operating authority of the task force through the end of 2024. The task force’s authority expired in May 2023, but the new limo task force bill would extend its operations through the end of next year, giving it extra time to reflect on state limo safety policies and reforms.
Source: Times Union
