New York State officials are getting tough on non-compliant limousine companies. As first reported by the Times Union, it’s a move to mitigate potential harm. The plan is to punish those not obeying the law and prevent future tragedies, like that deadly limousine crash in Schoharie on Oct. 6, 2018, which killed 20 people, including 18 in the mangled 2001 Ford Excursion stretch limo.
The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) recently notified troopers to seize license plates from 59 vehicles owned by limousine companies with suspended registrations – all due to non-compliance with state Department of Transportation regulations. A DMV spokesman says, “In New York, we have zero tolerance for any business that willfully puts its customers in danger. That is why, even as the investigation into the horrific Schoharie crash continues, we have taken immediate action, as we have done many times in the past, to do everything in our power to keep people safe.”
The DMV had inspected the crash vehicle prior to the tragic accident, and attached a sticker to the windshield ordering it to not be used – but the sticker was intentionally removed, causing one of the limo company’s owners to be charged with criminally negligent homicide
Local limousine companies are saying they have received verbal notification from the DMV that when an over-10-passenger vehicle flunks inspection, it will be confiscated by the state. If the garage that inspects the vehicle can’t fix it, it will be towed to another garage that can make appropriate repairs. After the vehicle is fixed to state guidelines, it must be returned to the original inspection site to be re-inspected and must pass before it can be released back to the limo company to legally transport passengers.
Source: Channel 13 Albany
