Senator Addabbo: Senate Aims to Strengthen Passenger/Highway Safety, Passes 'Abbagail's Law'

Senator Addabbo: Bill Strengthens Penalties Against Intoxicated Supervising Drivers

NYS Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. (D-Queens) has announced that the New York State Senate has passed legislation aiming to increase safety for passengers and motorists across the state, by significantly strengthening the penalties against supervising drivers who are intoxicated at the time the vehicle their designee – often a teen driver – is in an accident.

Under this bill, supervising drivers under influence of alcohol and/or drugs may be charged with a class A misdemeanor or a class E felony in an aggravated case. Supervising drivers are defined as drivers supervising drivers with junior licenses and learner’s permits.

This bill comes out of the tragic death of eight year-old Abbagail Buzard, who was in a vehicle operated by a teen driver under the supervision of her intoxicated father, when a preventable accident occurred and took her life.

“Abbagail’s Law is necessary, common-sense legislation that will save lives and deter those who exploit current law from placing children and other passengers in unnecessary danger,” said Senator Addabbo. “A supervising driver must take their role seriously, as the safety and lives of others, including their designated driver, is at stake. If someone is under the influence they must call a cab or a sober, fully legal drive, not someone still in the process of earning their full driver’s license.”

In September 2009, eight year-old Abbagail Buzard of Orleans County was tragically killed in a car accident. While the driver of the car that night violated numerous laws, the supervising adult, Abbagail's father – who was under the influence of alcohol – could not be held responsible for his actions.

The night of the accident, Abbagail’s father convinced his 17 year-old cousin – who had only a learner’s permit – to drive him to the store to purchase more alcohol. Due to the number of children in the back seat, Abbagail was sitting on a 14 year-old’s lap with no seatbelt when, because of reckless speeds, the driver lost control of the vehicle and Abbagail was thrown from the car as it rolled down an embankment. Abbagail had passed by the time paramedics arrived.

“We all have a responsibility, regardless of the laws in place, to exercise sound judgment and not put other drivers, passengers, or our own safety in danger by driving or supervising novice drivers while under the influence of alcohol and drugs,” concluded Addabbo.

Poof! Parking Takes a Toll on Residents, Local Businesses as Spots Vanish in Woodhaven by Lisa L. Colangelo - NY Daily News

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Deli owner Mark Gallagher shows several tickets he’s received for parking in unmetered area near his Jamaica Ave. business. Farriella for News

Woodhaven has many qualities of a small town: People know their neighbors, have lived in their homes for decades and can tell you exactly where to shop.

When it comes to parking, however, the 1-square-mile neighborhood has some big-city problems.

Shoppers, merchants and residents jockey for spots along Jamaica Ave. and its side streets. Even residential blocks aren't immune from chronic parking shortages, worsened by outdated rules and patchwork enforcement that also plague other areas highlighted in the Queens Parking Crunch series.

More and more, homeowners are turning their front yards into parking spaces. The curb cuts they create take away even more spots on the crowded streets.

"There are too many cars in a small area," said Rose Palmeiri, 70, who has lived in Woodhaven for 50 years. "My husband rents a garage because there is just no parking. Years ago it was not like this."

Some residents say part of the problem stems from a surge in the number of illegal conversions. Homes originally built for one or two families now house even more.

Others say the neighborhood is flooded with cars that have out-of-state license plates and can clog up spots for weeks at a time.

The Woodhaven Residents Block Association recently vowed to track down owners of these cars and send them a warning. If that doesn't work, they plan to contact the state's Motor Vehicles Department.

"My house was built in 1919," said Vance Barbour, 51, who moved to Woodhaven 23 years ago. "It wasn't meant to be for people with multiple cars per family."

He rents a garage down the block, but that doesn't always help.

"If people don't find a spot by the end of the night, they park in the driveway of my rented garage," he said.

Barbour said the city should crack down on people who build curb cuts in front of their homes.

"That just takes away a street spot," he said.

Maria Thomson of the Greater Woodhaven Development Corp. said the situation worsened after the city changed parking meter fees. Instead of 30 minutes, a quarter now only pays for 20 minutes of parking.

Merchants say the parking crunch has hurt their businesses that are already suffering in a tough economy. And they are irritated that the city looks to traffic tickets as an important source of revenue.

"If shoppers can't park, they won't go to local stores," said Mark Gallagher, owner of the Manor Deli at 94-12 Jamaica Ave. "They will just go to Stop and Shop and Trader Joe's because they have parking lots."

He also noticed more homeowners removing shrubs and fences from their front yards to create a parking spot.

As Gallagher spoke about the parking situation one day last week, a traffic agent walked up and down the street in front of his shop as people rushed in for lunch orders.

Margie Schmidt, who operates the popular Schmidt's Candy store across the street, agreed that traffic agents tend to prey on customers.

"When people come in here, I always remind them about the meters," she said.

While there are no current plans to install muni-meters along Jamaica Ave., nearby Woodhaven Blvd. is part of the Transportation Department's Citywide Congested Corridors study, an agency official said.

The agency is collecting data on traffic, transit services and parking issues along Woodhaven Blvd. from Queens Blvd. to Rockaway Blvd. Lessons from the study could be applied to Jamaica Ave., officials added.

Relief can't come fast enough for some.

"My business is down 30%," Gallagher said. "Part of it is the recession but part of it is definitely the parking. It's a bad situation."

Woodhaven Residents Battle Over Parking Spaces - WPIX.com

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A number of Woodhaven residents are growing tired of out-of-state cars hogging parking spots for weeks at a time - so they've decided to take matters into their own hands.

The Woodhaven Residents' Block Association has created a program aimed at reporting out-of-state vehicles that have remained parked on the community's streets for extended periods of time.

People living in the community are urged to contact the WRBA if a car with license plate outside from New York has been parked on their street for more than a month. The group will then contact the appropriate agency from the other state to inform them of the vehicle's whereabouts and launch a probe into whether the vehicle is appropriately registered.

For more information: Project Woodhaven

Addabbo Supports Senate Legislation for Senior Safety

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Legislation recently introduced in the state Senate authorizing the Department of Transportation to conduct a statewide survey to locate areas with a high incidence of pedestrian accidents involving senior citizens has earned the support of Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr.

The legislation requires the DOT commissioner to undertake a comprehensive study of mitigating dangers to senior citizens in areas where action needs to be taken. It also requires the commissioner to report recommendations and findings to the legislature and the governor on or before April 1, 2011.

Addabbo said the purpose of this bill is to help ensure the safety of senior citizens. “I initially thought of the intersection of 84th Street and 157th Avenue in Howard Beach. This intersection and others in my district have been extremely dangerous for seniors.” The senator noted that there are multiple active senior centers in close proximity to each other and that many intersections become nearly impossible for seniors to cross safely.

The bill requires the DOT, in consultation with the State Office for the Aging, the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Governor`s Traffic Safety Committee, local police agencies and other groups to conduct a statewide survey to determine areas of high levels of senior pedestrian traffic and incidents of senior citizen motor vehicle accidents.

Walking as a means of transportation is increasing in popularity. Environmental considerations, health concerns, and increasing leisure hours promote pedestrian activity in New York state and elsewhere. All age groups participate in walking activities, but every year senior citizens have a disproportionately high representation on the list of those killed or injured in pedestrian incidents.

Preventive pedestrian safety measures have been implemented outside New York state, and it is only reasonable and prudent that these measures receive scrutiny and consideration for use here, especially considering the increasing numbers of senior citizens.

Demographic projections indicate a burgeoning senior population as the next century approaches, and a key to senior mobility will be the availability of safe walkways. “This bill will begin the necessary first steps toward achieving this goal,” Addabbo said.

Hevesi and Addabbo Offer Mobile DMV at Middle Village Senior Center on October 7th...

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Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi and Councilman Joe Addabbo are pleased to offer all the services of the Department of Motor Vehicles in the convenience of the neighborhood. The mobile unit offers the following services:

· Issuance of non-driver identification cards
· Official changes of address
· Driver license and registration renewals
· New Vehicle registration

“This is a great service and I encourage everyone to take advantage of this program. I would like to thank the Middle Village Adult Center for hosting this important event,” said Assemblyman Hevesi. “As we all know going to the DMV can be a trying and arduous experience. Long lines and the endlessly confusing round of necessary forms can leave one exhausted and dejected. As a result I’m glad that Assemblyman Hevesi and I were able to secure the mobile unit, which offers the same services free from hassle. Finally, you can get everything done without the usual dose of frustration,” said Councilman Addabbo.

Space is limited so please call Roman Paprocki at 718-263-5595 to schedule an appointment.

Please note any charges for DMV services must be made by check, credit card or money order only.

When: Tuesday, October 7th, 2008 - 9:30AM to 2:30 PM

Where: Middle Village Senior Center 69-10 75th Street, Middle Village NY

NY Daily News: The Plate Scandal at DMV - State Probes How Private Vehicles Got Official Status

Exclusive

BY BENJAMIN LESSER and ROBERT GEARTY

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Tuesday, June 12th 2007, 4:00 AM

Exclusive: The state department of Motor Vehicles has been handing out coveted official government license plates to vehicle owners who aren't entitled to them, a month-long Daily News investigation reveals.

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Vehicle registered to Metro New York Search and Rescue with official plate parked outside synagogue.

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The state department of Motor Vehicles has been handing out coveted official government license plates to vehicle owners who aren't entitled to them, a month-long Daily News investigation reveals.

The News found "official plates" on vehicles belonging to Columbia University, the ASPCA, Lindenwood Volunteer Ambulance Service of Ozone Park and three Brooklyn-based search and rescue teams, even though none qualifies for the plates.

Yesterday, confronted with The News' findings, the DMV launched a full-scale investigation, promising to review the qualifications for each of the 154,000 official license plates it has issued statewide.

Official plates can only be mounted on vehicles owned by state and local government organizations.

There are many benefits of having an official license plate, including:

• No original registration fees.

• No yearly renewal fees because official plates are issued on one-time permanent basis.

• Access usually denied to the general public.

After the 9/11 terror attacks, the city banned vehicles with only one passenger from entering Manhattan through any bridge or tunnel south of 63rd St. during the morning rush. Vehicles with official plates were among those exempt from that ban.

Vehicles with official plates are required to obey parking regulations in the city, but The News recently watched a traffic agent walk past an illegally parked vehicle with official plates in Brooklyn without writing a ticket.

"Of course you avoid tickets, but I don't abuse it," said Brooklynite Sam Lichtenstein, 23, of Metro New York Search and Rescue.

In announcing the statewide crackdown yesterday, DMV spokeswoman Gail Tyner-Taylor told The News that Commissioner David Swarts has established an internal team to "review all of our active official plate registrations, and any questionable ones will be thoroughly investigated."

She said holders of official plates would have to recertify their eligibility.

"We're also looking into the need to clarify a political subdivision in the law and will be exploring other ways to verify eligibility for official plates," she said. "This may lead to the development of new guidelines and procedures."

Asked to explain how Metro New York, along with New York Rescue Response Team and New York Rescue Squad, had received the special plates, DMV spokesman Ken Brown said he did not know, but conceded the groups did not meet the requirements and should not have received them.

Tyner-Taylor said she did not know how or why Columbia University and the Lindenwood Ambulance Service got their plates.

Improperly issued official plates may be attached to many other vehicles. Because of limitations in searching DMV records, The News reviewed only several hundred official plate registrations.

The DMV began quietly moving to quell the fiasco within days of the first inquiry from The News. The agency sent two e-mails, the second last Friday, advising district offices to be careful when reviewing applications for official plates.

The e-mails, obtained by The News, directed that "no official plate should be issued unless the transaction is reviewed and approved by a supervisor."

Another Brooklyn rescue group, New York Rescue Response Team, has been issued three official plates since the group was established in July. Its address in DMV records is a mail drop on McDonald Ave. in Borough Park, Brooklyn.

The third group, New York Rescue Squad, has two vehicles with official plates, DMV records show. The group was created in February listing a post office box in upstate Parksville as its mailing address.

An unrelated emergency organization, the Forest Hills Volunteer Ambulance Service, was forced to surrender its official plates last fall "because we were not a municipality," said Vice President Aviv Citron.

Also, the New York City ASPCA has official plates on at least seven vehicles, DMV records show.

An ASPCA spokeswoman said the organization has official plates because they enforce animal cruelty laws.

"If we didn't have official plates we wouldn't be able to move animals out of danger quickly," said Steve Musso, ASPCA executive vice president.

Yesterday, officials from the DMV and the ASPCA said the organization's vehicles also were entitled to the special plates because it is a law enforcement agency.

In seizing official plates from a vehicle owned by the Sullivan County SPCA last year, Undersheriff Eric Chaboty said the group was not a government entity.

He said people and organizations want the special plates because they present "the air of authority."

Clueless at Columbia U. on why cars have the tags

Columbia University has been issued at least five official license plates, according to DMV records.

The Daily News found two of the plates on Crown Victorias assigned to the public safety office.

"I don't know why we got these plates," said an official at the private university who did not want to be identified for fear of angering DMV officials. He said the university has had the plates for a number of years.

"No one can think of any reason other than reducing paperwork," he said.

The Columbia spokesman said the vehicles with official plates are used by public safety officers and "buildings grounds people."

A News reporter recently witnessed one of the cars being driven by an employee of AlliedBarton, a private security firm employed by the university.

Biz got 'em cuz 'we asked'

DMV records show that Metro New York Search and Rescue has been issued 11 official plates since 2005, nine of which are still active.

The owner of one of the vehicles is a corporation with an upstate Binghamton address, DMV records show.

Chaim Gottlieb, who leads Metro New York Search and Rescue, contended its members could receive official plates because they were emergency first responders.

"These plates were not swindled out of DMV," he said. "We asked for the plates, and they gave them to us."

State incorporation records show that Metro New York is a not-for-profit corporation.

Gottlieb said Metro New York members joined a search for a missing 11-year-old boy on Staten Island last month but he was less forthcoming when asked about the group's other emergency responses.

Here's the message the Department of Motor Vehicles e-mailed to agents May 18:

It has come to our attention that there are private corporations that, because of their business name, are requesting and being issued official plates.

Effective immediately, no MVR [clerk] is to issue official plates unless the transaction is reviewed and signed as approved by a supervisor.

Please advise your staff to be careful when reviewing applications for official plates. These corporations may have been issued official plates by other offices in error and are using the registrations as proof they are part of the state, city, county, village, town, school district, fire district, or county extension service.