A NEW law has come into effect this week that sees drivers of certain vehicles risk huge fines.
That’s unless they provide safety presentations to customers before the trip begins.
3
3
3
These presentations, which must cover protocols around the use of emergency exits, fire extinguishers, and window-break tools, will be similar to those given before airplanes take off.
The change was prompted by a tragic accident that occurred back in 2018, which saw an upstate limo crash end in the death of 20 people – including four sisters.
Federal investigators later found state regulators repeatedly failed to properly oversee the vehicle – which was poorly maintained.
The National Transportation Safety Board, NTSB, found that the crash was likely caused by “egregious disregard for safety” by the operators – resulting in brake failure on a long downhill stretch.
The law went into effect on April 23 in New York, mandated by the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles, DMV.
Mark J.F. Schroeder, commissioner of the DMV and chair of the governor’s traffic safety committee, said: “The purpose of this safety briefing is to familiarize passengers with the safety features and tools available to them in case they ever need to use them.
“It’s just one of many steps the state has taken to make renting a limousine safer for consumers.”
For the vast majority of people, being inside a limo is a rare treat that’s saved for special occasions, like proms, weddings and funerals.
Schroeder added: “Stretch limousines are usually rented when someone is celebrating an important milestone or occasion.
“They deserve to know that the vehicle is safe and what they can do to protect themselves if an emergency does happen.”
Failure to abide by the new law states drivers risk a “minimum fine of $10,000 and other fines, penalties or actions”.
Meanwhile, a New York-based Audi owner has racked up fines of some $58,000 after being ticketed for the same violation over 700 times.
A driver of a black 2023 Audi A6 has proven to be a big money-maker for borough of Brooklyn in just the last year.
According to the Transportation Alternatives, a public transit advocacy group, the owner of the sporty, German saloon has accumulated 563 speed camera tickets in school zones since 2024.
The speeder tops a list compiled by the group, which looked at the top 10 school-zone speeders across New York City.
Weirdly enough, there are no Porsches, Ferraris, or Lamborghinis among the top 10 – if anything, they’re all pretty ordinary cars.
It’s the Audi driver who tops the table, with 177 tickets picked up so far this year in addition to the 563 tickets they’d been slapped with in 2024.
The owner has reportedly paid $46,636.60 of those fines to date, but they still owe $11,205.63. All of their speeding citations were picked up in Brooklyn, mostly by cameras on Ocean Parkway and Ocean Court.
Are you covered by law to park on a public street?
Parking on a public street is generally legal, even in front of someone’s house, experts say.
Unless the home is in an HOA subdivision, an apartment complex with assigned spaces, or there are posted laws against parking during certain days or hours, it is not illegal to park a vehicle in front of someone’s home on a public street.
“Generally speaking, an individual citizen does not ‘own’ or have any ongoing exclusive right to use a parking space on a public street,” wrote Nolo Legal.
“These spaces are open to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis.”
Most states do have rules against vehicles being parked in the same spot for 72 hours, or blocking fire hydrants, driveways, and sidewalks, as a parked vehicle in those spaces presents a safety hazard.