BILL NUMBER: S7626
SPONSOR: COONEY
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law and the executive law, in
relation to enacting "Shawn's law"
 
PURPOSE:
This legislation requires a person driving on a state expressway or
thruway to pull over and seek assistance if their vehicle is unable to
exceed thirty-five miles per hour, and well as require the superinten-
dent to establish an accident reconstruction policy for accidents that
results in a fatality.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 Title of the bill.
Section 2. Amends section 1181 of the vehicle and traffic law by adding
a new subdivision (c)that will require a driver whose vehicle is not
able to maintain a speed of thirty-five miles per hour must safely pull
seek over and assistance.
Section 3. Amends section of the executive law to require the super-
intendent of the state police to establish an accident reconstruction
policy that results in a fatality.
Section 4. Effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
In December 2017 Shawn Kruse was traveled back to Rochester, New York to
retrieve his family after a holiday visit with his mother and father.
Unfortunately, Mr. Kruse never reunited with his family as he was
involved in a collision with a tractor-trailer. A post-accident investi-
gation showed that the tractor- trailer driver was traveling at extreme
low speed, low fuel level and losing power while failing to use his
emergency flashers. The results were tragic for Shawn's family. This
legislation is a safer approach to dealing with a vehicle experiencing
mechanical failure by requiring the driver to stop and seek assistance.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023/24: A8233-A - referred to Transportation
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately

Statutes affected:
S7626: 1181 vehicle and traffic law