Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo (D-Endwell) announced the Assembly passed bipartisan legislation she sponsored to toughen the penalties for people who cause accidents under the influence of drugs or alcohol in New York State.

"Too many New Yorkers have been killed by drunk drivers, those who commit the crime need to be punished severely," Lupardo said. "Under this legislation, people who are drunk or impaired by drugs and kill or injure someone will face much harsher penalties."

The legislation strengthens the penalties for vehicular assault and vehicular manslaughter when serious physical injury or death is caused by a person driving drunk or impaired by drugs (A.6285-B/S.1872-B). The legislation eliminates the element of criminal negligence currently required to prosecute these crimes – making it easier to indict individuals who commit them.

The bill, known as VaSean’s Law, is named for 11-year-old VaSean Phillip Alleyne, who was killed in an accident last year by a motorist charged with drunk driving.

More than one-third of New York’s nearly 1,500 traffic deaths in 2003 involved alcohol-impaired drivers, according to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Nationally in 2002, 17,419 people died in alcohol-related traffic accidents – an average of one death every 30 minutes.

"People who get behind the wheel of a car when they are not fit to drive, need to be punished when they harm innocent people’s lives," Lupardo said. "This bill is also expected to pass in the Senate – I urge the governor to sign this legislation into law to give police and prosecutors the ability to more fairly punish dangerous drivers."