On the 6th, the New York State Senate passed a bill that expands the punishment area for drivers of reckless driving to private parking lots.
This bill, proposed by Congressman John Liu, is to include private parking lots as areas subject to punishment for reckless drivers so that reckless driving vehicles that engage in idling and street racing with excessive exhaust noise can be cracked down in parking lots owned by private companies such as shopping malls is the main goal.
Currently, in New York State, when police detect reckless drivers on public roads or highways, they can conduct direct crackdowns, but reckless driving in private parking lots is not enforced unless the owner directly reports it.
Rep. John Liu said, “After the pandemic, vehicles for drag racing during late-night hours are gathering in parking lots with wide parking spaces such as Bay Terrace Shopping Mall and Fresh Meadow Shopping Centre, which threatens the lives and property of residents using nearby facilities. is being applied,” he explained about the background of the bill.
Currently, reckless driving is punishable as a misdemeanour in New York State, and for the first offense, up to 30 days in prison or up to $300 in fines, and penalties at the level of revocation of the driver’s license are applied.