ALBANY — Offenders who repeatedly drive drunk will risk losing
their licenses permanently for the first time in New York under new Department
of Motor Vehicles regulations announced Tuesday.
Drivers who have committed five or more alcohol- or drug-related offenses in a lifetime would now lose their license forever. Current law only removes their licenses for five years after a certain number of offenses during various time periods.
Additionally, under the new regulations, drivers with three or more alcohol-related offenses plus one other serious traffic violation — such as causing a fatal crash or accumulating 20 license points — during 25 years would permanently lose their licenses.
According to Dutchess County STOP-DWI, there were 1,480 arrests in the county for driving while intoxicated or driving while ability impaired in 2011, a 9.2 percent decrease from the 1,630 arrests in 2010. Statistics for this
Drivers who have committed five or more alcohol- or drug-related offenses in a lifetime would now lose their license forever. Current law only removes their licenses for five years after a certain number of offenses during various time periods.
Additionally, under the new regulations, drivers with three or more alcohol-related offenses plus one other serious traffic violation — such as causing a fatal crash or accumulating 20 license points — during 25 years would permanently lose their licenses.
According to Dutchess County STOP-DWI, there were 1,480 arrests in the county for driving while intoxicated or driving while ability impaired in 2011, a 9.2 percent decrease from the 1,630 arrests in 2010. Statistics for this
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – New York
officials issued regulations Tuesday to prevent persistent drunken drivers from
getting their licenses back.
Under the new rules, the Department of Motor Vehicles will review the lifetime records of drivers seeking reinstatement after a revocation and deny any that have five or more alcohol- or drug-related driving convictions.
“Each year, more than 300 people are killed and more than 6,000 injured on New York highways as a direct result of alcohol-related crashes,” DMV Commissioner Barbara Fiala said. “More than 25 percent of those crashes involved a driver who had three or more drunk driving convictions.
The DMV is also supposed to deny relicensing for anyone with three or more such convictions and at least one serious driving offense within the last 25 years, such as a fatal crash or driving-related penal conviction, officials said
Under the new rules, the Department of Motor Vehicles will review the lifetime records of drivers seeking reinstatement after a revocation and deny any that have five or more alcohol- or drug-related driving convictions.
“Each year, more than 300 people are killed and more than 6,000 injured on New York highways as a direct result of alcohol-related crashes,” DMV Commissioner Barbara Fiala said. “More than 25 percent of those crashes involved a driver who had three or more drunk driving convictions.
The DMV is also supposed to deny relicensing for anyone with three or more such convictions and at least one serious driving offense within the last 25 years, such as a fatal crash or driving-related penal conviction, officials said
Drunk drivers in New York watch
out, the rules just changed. Thanks to new regulations announced by Governor
Cuomo yesterday if you have at least three alcohol or drug related driving
convictions over a 25-year period and then get just one more “serious driving
offense” you will permanently lose your driver’s license. Same goes if you rack
up five booze or drug related convictions in your lifetime.
“We are saying ‘enough is enough’ to those who have chronically abused their driving privileges and threatened the safety of other drivers, passengers and pedestrians,” Governor Cuomo said yesterday, echoing arguments made in previous pushes for similar laws that driving is not a right but a privilege. “This comprehensive effort will make New York safer, by keeping these drivers off our roadways,” he went on.
What constitutes a “serious driving offense?” According to the Governor’s office that would be “a fatal crash, a driving-related penal law conviction, an accumulation of 20 or more points assessed for driving violations within the last 25 years, or having two or more driving convictions each worth five points or higher.”
If drivers have three or four drug or booze related convictions but don’t have a serious driving offense in the past 25 years, there are still consequences. Those can include having license reinstatement requests denied, having them accepted but “restricted” to travel to and from work or medical visits and/or requiring that an interlock be installed on the driver’s vehicle
“We are saying ‘enough is enough’ to those who have chronically abused their driving privileges and threatened the safety of other drivers, passengers and pedestrians,” Governor Cuomo said yesterday, echoing arguments made in previous pushes for similar laws that driving is not a right but a privilege. “This comprehensive effort will make New York safer, by keeping these drivers off our roadways,” he went on.
What constitutes a “serious driving offense?” According to the Governor’s office that would be “a fatal crash, a driving-related penal law conviction, an accumulation of 20 or more points assessed for driving violations within the last 25 years, or having two or more driving convictions each worth five points or higher.”
If drivers have three or four drug or booze related convictions but don’t have a serious driving offense in the past 25 years, there are still consequences. Those can include having license reinstatement requests denied, having them accepted but “restricted” to travel to and from work or medical visits and/or requiring that an interlock be installed on the driver’s vehicle
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