Requires a study of the performance of the state's roadways in reducing the risk of motor vehicles departing the travel lane and overturning, or colliding with fixed objects, or colliding with motorized or non-motorized vehicles or pedestrians, or leaving the roadway; further requires the commissioner of transportation and the thruway authority to submit a report to the governor and legislature.

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S309-2013 Actions

• Jan 9, 2013: REFERRED TO TRANSPORTATION

S309-2013 Memo

BILL NUMBER:S309

TITLE OF BILL:

An act
to amend the transportation law and the public authorities law, in
relation to the study and examination of the state's roadways and the
thruway in reducing certain motor vehicle risks

PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

To improve the safety of the state's roadways and reduce the risk of
crashes.

SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

The bill would direct the Department of Transportation (DOT), and the
Thruway Authority (Authority), to study and examine the performance
of the state's roadways and the Thruway, respectively, in reducing
the departure of motor vehicles from travel lanes and subsequently
crashing, utilizing existing data whenever possible. The study and
examination would be required to include, but not be limited to,
high-fatality roadway segments and those segments with hazardous
features such as steep slopes, embankments, cliffs, drop-offs or deep
bodies of water. The bill also would direct DOT and the Authority to
each submit annual reports to the governor and the Legislature to
include the number and type of travel lane departure crashes, the
extent to which DOT or the Authority has analyzed crash data and
identified and considered the safety needs of the roadways, and the
measures and strategies that have been undertaken, or plan to be
undertaken, to improve roadway performance and reduce the risk of
travel lane departures and crashes.

EXISTING LAW:

None.

JUSTIFICATION:

Motor vehicle crashes take a terrible human toll on people whether
they are vehicle passengers, motorcyclists, bicyclists, or
pedestrians, depriving individuals of their independence when crashes
cause serious physical injury, and depriving families of their loved
ones and society of valued members when the crashes are fatal. While
there are general downward trends in the number of motor vehicle
fatal crashes and the number of fatalities on New York State's
roadways, more can and should be done to further prevent them. This
bill presents an opportunity to focus on high-risk sections of road
across the State such as those with a high number of fatal crashes,
and those with
hazardous features like steep slopes, embankments, cliffs, drop-offs
and deep bodies of water.
Strategies for reducing the risk of vehicles abruptly leaving their
lanes of travel and crashing can and should be identified in order to
reduce the risk of crashes at these high-risk locations to better


protect the safety of the traveling public and prevent future
tragedies.

PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2012: S.7399A  - Amended on Third Reading, Committed to Rules/
      A.10125A - Passed Assembly

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

Minimal.

EFFECTIVE DATE:

This act shall take effect sixty days after it shall have become a law.

S309-2013 Text

                      S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
  ________________________________________________________________________

                                     309

                         2013-2014 Regular Sessions

                              I N  SENATE

                                 (PREFILED)

                               January 9, 2013
                                 ___________

  Introduced  by  Sen.  DIAZ  --  read twice and ordered printed, and when
    printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation

  AN ACT to amend the transportation law and the public  authorities  law,
    in  relation  to the study and examination of the state's roadways and
    the thruway in reducing certain motor vehicle risks

    THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
  BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:


    Section  1.  Section 14 of the transportation law is amended by adding
  a new subdivision 36 to read as follows:

    36. TO STUDY AND EXAMINE THE PERFORMANCE OF THE  STATE'S  ROADWAYS  IN
  REDUCING  THE RISK OF MOTOR VEHICLES DEPARTING THE TRAVEL LANE AND OVER-
  TURNING, OR COLLIDING WITH FIXED OBJECTS, OR COLLIDING WITH MOTORIZED OR
  NON-MOTORIZED VEHICLES OR PEDESTRIANS,  OR  LEAVING  THE  ROADWAY.  SUCH
  STUDY  AND EXAMINATION SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO, SEGMENTS OF
  THE STATE'S ROADWAYS WITH A HIGH NUMBER OF FATAL CRASHES,  AND  SEGMENTS
  OF  ROADWAY  WITH  HAZARDOUS FEATURES SUCH AS STEEP SLOPES, EMBANKMENTS,
  CLIFFS, DROP-OFFS OR DEEP BODIES OF WATER. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL SUBMIT
  A REPORT ON LANE DEPARTURES, UTILIZING EXISTING DATA WHENEVER  POSSIBLE,
  BEGINNING  NO  LATER THAN AUGUST THIRTY-FIRST, TWO THOUSAND FOURTEEN AND
  ANNUALLY THEREAFTER, TO THE GOVERNOR AND THE  LEGISLATURE  WHICH  REPORT
  SHALL  INCLUDE  BUT  SHALL NOT BE LIMITED TO: (A) THE NUMBER AND TYPE OF
  TRAVEL LANE DEPARTURE CRASHES ON THE STATE'S ROADWAYS INCLUDING, BUT NOT
  LIMITED TO, FIXED OBJECT, HEAD-ON, CROSS-OVER,  ROLLOVER  AND  SIDESWIPE
  CRASHES,  ROADWAY DEPARTURES, AND THOSE INVOLVING NON-MOTORIZED VEHICLES
  AND PEDESTRIANS; (B) THE EXTENT TO WHICH  THE  DEPARTMENT  HAS  ANALYZED
  CRASH DATA AND IDENTIFIED AND CONSIDERED THE SAFETY NEEDS OF THE STATE'S
  ROADWAYS  INCLUDING  BUT  NOT  LIMITED  TO  HIGH-FATALITY  SEGMENTS  AND
  SEGMENTS WITH HAZARDOUS FEATURES  SUCH  AS  STEEP  SLOPES,  EMBANKMENTS,
  CLIFFS,  DROP-OFFS  OR  DEEP  BODIES  OF WATER; AND (C) THE MEASURES AND
  STRATEGIES THAT THE DEPARTMENT HAS UNDERTAKEN, OR PLANS TO UNDERTAKE, TO

   EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                        [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                             LBD00955-01-3

 S. 309                              2

  IMPROVE ROADWAY PERFORMANCE AND REDUCE THE RISK OF MOTOR VEHICLE  TRAVEL
  LANE DEPARTURES AND CRASHES.
    S  2. Section 361 of the public authorities law is amended by adding a
  new subdivision 3 to read as follows:

    3. THE AUTHORITY SHALL STUDY AND EXAMINE THE PERFORMANCE OF THE  THRU-
  WAY IN REDUCING THE RISK OF MOTOR VEHICLES DEPARTING THE TRAVEL LANE AND
  OVERTURNING,  OR  COLLIDING WITH FIXED OBJECTS, OR COLLIDING WITH MOTOR-
  IZED OR NON-MOTORIZED VEHICLES OR PEDESTRIANS, OR LEAVING  THE  THRUWAY.
  SUCH  STUDY  AND  EXAMINATION  SHALL  INCLUDE,  BUT  NOT  BE LIMITED TO,
  SEGMENTS OF THE THRUWAY  WITH  A  HIGH  NUMBER  OF  FATAL  CRASHES,  AND
  SEGMENTS  WITH  HAZARDOUS  FEATURES  SUCH  AS STEEP SLOPES, EMBANKMENTS,
  CLIFFS, DROP-OFFS OR DEEP BODIES OF WATER. THE AUTHORITY SHALL SUBMIT  A
  REPORT  ON  LANE  DEPARTURES, UTILIZING EXISTING DATA WHENEVER POSSIBLE,
  BEGINNING NO LATER THAN AUGUST THIRTY-FIRST, TWO THOUSAND  FOURTEEN  AND
  ANNUALLY  THEREAFTER,  TO  THE GOVERNOR AND THE LEGISLATURE WHICH REPORT
  SHALL INCLUDE BUT SHALL NOT BE LIMITED TO: (A) THE NUMBER  AND  TYPE  OF
  TRAVEL  LANE DEPARTURE CRASHES ON THE THRUWAY INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED
  TO, FIXED OBJECT, HEAD-ON, CROSS-OVER, ROLLOVER AND  SIDESWIPE  CRASHES,
  ROADWAY  DEPARTURES,  AND  THOSE  INVOLVING  NON-MOTORIZED  VEHICLES AND
  PEDESTRIANS; (B) THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE AUTHORITY  HAS  ANALYZED  CRASH
  DATA  AND  IDENTIFIED  AND  CONSIDERED  THE  SAFETY NEEDS OF THE THRUWAY
  INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO HIGH-FATALITY SEGMENTS  AND  SEGMENTS  WITH
  HAZARDOUS  FEATURES SUCH AS STEEP SLOPES, EMBANKMENTS, CLIFFS, DROP-OFFS
  OR DEEP BODIES OF WATER; AND (C) THE MEASURES AND  STRATEGIES  THAT  THE
  AUTHORITY  HAS  UNDERTAKEN,  OR  PLANS  TO UNDERTAKE, TO IMPROVE THRUWAY
  PERFORMANCE AND REDUCE THE RISK OF MOTOR VEHICLE TRAVEL LANE  DEPARTURES
  AND CRASHES.
    S  3.  This  act  shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall
  have become a law.