Amd §§1110, 1111, 1113, 1116 & 1144, add §1111-f, V & T L
Authorizes drivers to disobey a traffic-control device or signal, after exercising reasonable care, in order to yield the right of way to an authorized emergency vehicle.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
4834
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
March 27, 2019
___________
Introduced by Sen. FELDER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to authorizing
an operator of a motor vehicle to disobey a traffic-control device or
signal in the course of yielding the right of way to an authorized
emergency vehicle
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision (a) of section 1110 of the vehicle and traffic
2 law, as amended by chapter 259 of the laws of 1964, is amended to read
3 as follows:
4 (a) Every person shall obey the instructions of any official traffic-
5 control device applicable to him or her placed in accordance with the
6 provisions of this chapter, unless otherwise directed by a traffic or
7 police officer, or unless otherwise authorized by section eleven hundred
8 forty-four of this title, subject to the exceptions granted the driver
9 of an authorized emergency vehicle in this title.
10 § 2. Paragraphs 1 and 3 of subdivision (d) of section 1111 of the
11 vehicle and traffic law, paragraph 1 as amended by chapter 760 of the
12 laws of 1974 and paragraph 3 as amended by chapter 356 of the laws of
13 1971 and as renumbered by chapter 760 of the laws of 1974, are amended
14 to read as follows:
15 1. Traffic, except pedestrians, facing a steady circular red signal,
16 unless to make such other movement as is permitted by other indications
17 shown at the same time, shall stop at a clearly marked stop line, but if
18 none, then shall stop before entering the crosswalk on the near side of
19 the intersection, or in the event there is no crosswalk, at the point
20 nearest the intersecting roadway where the driver has a view of the
21 approaching traffic on the intersecting roadway before entering the
22 intersection and shall remain standing until an indication to proceed is
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10205-01-9
S. 4834 2
1 shown except as provided in paragraph two of this subdivision or as
2 authorized by section eleven hundred forty-four of this title.
3 3. Traffic, except pedestrians, facing a steady red arrow signal may
4 not enter the intersection to make the movement indicated by such arrow
5 and, unless entering the intersection to make such other movement as is
6 permitted by other indications shown at the same time, shall stop at a
7 clearly marked stop line, but if none, then shall stop before entering
8 the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection, or in the event
9 there is no crosswalk at the point nearest the intersecting roadway
10 where the driver has a view of the approaching traffic on the intersect-
11 ing roadway before entering the intersection and shall remain standing
12 until an indication to proceed is shown except as authorized by section
13 eleven hundred forty-four of this title.
14 § 3. The vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding a new section
15 1111-f to read as follows:
16 § 1111-f. Review of traffic-control violation; yielding right of way
17 to an authorized emergency vehicle. (a) Every municipality which is
18 authorized to install and operate traffic-control signal photo violation
19 monitoring devices pursuant to this article, shall establish and imple-
20 ment a program and methodology which provides for the review of the
21 photographs, microphotographs, videotape or other recorded images
22 produced by its traffic-control signal photo violation monitoring
23 devices to determine whether any owner charged with a violation of
24 subdivision (d) of section eleven hundred eleven of this article, diso-
25 beyed the traffic-control signal as authorized by section eleven hundred
26 forty-four of this title; in which case, any notice of liability for
27 such violation shall be void.
28 (b) Every such municipality shall include space on each notice of
29 liability it issues, in which an owner may indicate that the alleged
30 violation was authorized in order to yield the right of way to an
31 authorized emergency vehicle in accordance with section eleven hundred
32 forty-four of this title. In each instance in which an owner so indi-
33 cates, the municipality shall cause a review to be conducted pursuant to
34 subdivision (a) of this section.
35 § 4. Subdivision (a) of section 1113 of the vehicle and traffic law,
36 as amended by chapter 722 of the laws of 2006, is amended to read as
37 follows:
38 (a) Flashing red indications. Unless to make another movement permit-
39 ted by other indications shown at the same time or as authorized by
40 section eleven hundred forty-four of this title, vehicular traffic
41 facing a circular red signal or red arrow with rapid intermittent flash-
42 es shall stop at a clearly marked stop line, but if none, then shall
43 stop before entering the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection,
44 or in the event there is no crosswalk, at the point nearest the inter-
45 secting roadway where the driver has a view of approaching traffic on
46 the intersecting roadway before entering the intersection and the right
47 to proceed shall be subject to the rules applicable after making a stop
48 at a stop sign.
49 § 5. The opening paragraph of section 1116 of the vehicle and traffic
50 law, as amended by chapter 228 of the laws of 2012, is amended to read
51 as follows:
52 Whenever traffic is controlled by lane-use control signal indications
53 located over the individual lanes of a highway, only the colors green,
54 yellow, white and red shall be used, and said signals shall, except as
55 otherwise required by section eleven hundred forty-four of this title,
56 indicate and apply as follows:
S. 4834 3
1 § 6. Subdivision (a) of section 1144 of the vehicle and traffic law,
2 as amended by chapter 606 of the laws of 1994, is amended to read as
3 follows:
4 (a) Upon the immediate approach of an authorized emergency vehicle
5 equipped with at least one lighted lamp exhibiting red light visible
6 under normal atmospheric conditions from a distance of five hundred feet
7 to the front of such vehicle other than a police vehicle or bicycle when
8 operated as an authorized emergency vehicle, and when audible signals
9 are sounded from any said vehicle by siren, exhaust whistle, bell, air-
10 horn or electronic equivalent; the driver of every other vehicle shall
11 yield the right of way and shall immediately drive to a position paral-
12 lel to, and as close as possible to the right-hand edge or curb of the
13 roadway, or to either edge of a one-way roadway three or more lanes in
14 width, clear of any intersection, and shall stop and remain in such
15 position until the authorized emergency vehicle has passed, unless
16 otherwise directed by a police officer. A driver, after exercising
17 reasonable care for all persons using the highway, may disobey any offi-
18 cial traffic-control device or traffic-control signal, when such disobe-
19 dience is necessary to yield the right of way to an authorized emergency
20 vehicle.
21 § 7. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed-
22 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.
