A 4005: Directs the commissioner of motor vehicles to establish the "rotary and roundabout use and safety awareness" component for the pre-licensing class as a prerequisite for obtaining a license to operate a motor vehicle.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 4005 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY January 30, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. BERGER -- read once and referred to the Committee on Transportation AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to rotary and roundabout use and safety awareness in the pre-licensing course The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subparagraph (i) of paragraph (a) and paragraphs (b) and 2 (d) of subdivision 4 of section 502 of the vehicle and traffic law, 3 subparagraph (i) of paragraph (a) and paragraph (b) as amended by chap- 4 ter 379 of the laws of 2022 and paragraph (d) as amended by chapter 477 5 of the laws of 2024, are amended and a new paragraph (c-6) is added to 6 read as follows: 7 (i) Upon submission of an application for a driver's license, the 8 applicant shall be required to take and pass a test, or submit evidence 9 of passage of a test, with respect to the laws relating to traffic, the 10 laws relating to driving while ability is impaired and while intoxicat- 11 ed, under the overpowering influence of "Road Rage", "Work Zone Safety" 12 awareness, "Motorcycle Safety" awareness and "Pedestrian and Bicyclist 13 Safety" awareness as defined by the commissioner, "School Bus Safety" 14 awareness, "Rotary and Roundabout Use and Safety", the law relating to 15 exercising due care to avoid colliding with a parked, stopped or stand- 16 ing authorized emergency vehicle or hazard vehicle pursuant to section 17 eleven hundred forty-four-a of this chapter, the ability to read and 18 comprehend traffic signs and symbols and such other matters as the 19 commissioner may prescribe, and to satisfactorily complete a course 20 prescribed by the commissioner of not less than four hours and not more 21 than five hours, consisting of classroom driver training and highway 22 safety instruction or the equivalent thereof. Such test shall include at 23 least seven written questions concerning the effects of consumption of 24 alcohol or drugs on the ability of a person to operate a motor vehicle 25 and the legal and financial consequences resulting from violations of EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD07992-01-5 
 A. 4005 2 1 section eleven hundred ninety-two of this chapter, prohibiting the oper- 2 ation of a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. 3 Such test shall include one or more written questions concerning the 4 devastating effects of "Road Rage" on the ability of a person to operate 5 a motor vehicle and the legal and financial consequences resulting from 6 assaulting, threatening or interfering with the lawful conduct of anoth- 7 er person legally using the roadway. Such test shall include one or more 8 questions concerning the potential dangers to persons and equipment 9 resulting from the unsafe operation of a motor vehicle in a work zone. 10 Such test may include one or more questions concerning motorcycle safe- 11 ty. Such test may include one or more questions concerning the law for 12 exercising due care to avoid colliding with a parked, stopped or stand- 13 ing vehicle pursuant to section eleven hundred forty-four-a of this 14 chapter. Such test may include one or more questions concerning school 15 bus safety. Such test may include one or more questions concerning 16 pedestrian and bicyclist safety. Such test may include one or more ques- 17 tions concerning rotary and roundabout use and safety. Such test shall 18 be administered by the commissioner. The commissioner shall cause the 19 applicant to take a vision test and a test for color blindness. Upon 20 passage of the vision test, the application may be accepted and the 21 application fee shall be payable. 22 (b) Upon successful completion of the requirements set forth in para- 23 graph (a) of this subdivision which shall include an alcohol and drug 24 education component as described in paragraph (c) of this subdivision, a 25 "Road Rage" awareness component as described in paragraph (c-1) of this 26 subdivision, a "Work Zone Safety" awareness component as described in 27 paragraph (c-2) of this subdivision, a "Motorcycle Safety" awareness 28 component as described in paragraph (c-3) of this subdivision, a "School 29 Bus Safety" awareness component as described in paragraph (c-4) of this 30 subdivision, [and] a "Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety" awareness compo- 31 nent as described in paragraph (c-5) of this subdivision, and a rotary 32 and roundabout use and safety awareness component as described in para- 33 graph (c-6) of this subdivision, the commissioner shall cause the appli- 34 cant to take a road test in a representative vehicle of a type 35 prescribed by the commissioner which shall be appropriate to the type of 36 license for which application is made, except that the commissioner may 37 waive the road test requirements for certain classes of applicants. 38 Provided, however, that the term "representative vehicle" shall not 39 include a three-wheeled motor vehicle that has two wheels situated in 40 the front and one wheel in the rear, has a steering mechanism and seat- 41 ing which does not require the operator to straddle or sit astride, is 42 equipped with safety belts for all occupants and is manufactured to 43 comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards for motorcycles 44 including, but not limited to, 49 C.F.R. part 571. The commissioner 45 shall have the power to establish a program to allow persons other than 46 employees of the department to conduct road tests in representative 47 vehicles when such tests are required for applicants to obtain a class 48 A, B or C license. If [she] such commissioner chooses to do so, [she] 49 such commissioner shall set forth [her] reasons in writing and conduct a 50 public hearing on the matter. [She] Such commissioner shall only estab- 51 lish such a program after holding the public hearing. 52 (c-6) Rotary and roundabout use and safety awareness component. (i) 53 The commissioner shall provide in the pre-licensing course, set forth in 54 paragraph (b) of this subdivision, a mandatory component in rotary and 55 roundabout use and safety awareness education as a prerequisite for 56 obtaining a license to operate a motor vehicle. The purpose of the 
 A. 4005 3 1 component is to educate prospective licensees on rotary and roundabout 2 use and safety, including, but not limited to, when to yield and when to 3 enter such rotary or roundabout pursuant to section eleven hundred 4 forty-five of this chapter. 5 (ii) In developing such curriculum, the commissioner shall consult 6 with the commissioner of transportation. 7 (d) (i) The commissioner shall make available for distribution upon 8 registration at each location where the pre-licensing course will be 9 given (1) instructional handbooks outlining the content of the entire 10 curriculum of the pre-licensing course including the information 11 required to be included in the course pursuant to paragraphs (c), (c-1), 12 (c-2), (c-3), (c-4) [and], (c-5) and (c-6) of this subdivision, and (2) 13 information as to how a person may register in the New York state organ 14 and tissue donor registry under section forty-three hundred ten of the 15 public health law. 16 (ii) The commissioner shall also provide for the additional training 17 of the instructors necessary for the competent instruction of the alco- 18 hol and drug education, "Road Rage" awareness, "Work Zone Safety" aware- 19 ness, "Motorcycle Safety" awareness, "School Bus Safety" awareness 20 [and], "Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety" awareness and rotary roundabout 21 use and safety awareness subject matters of the pre-licensing course. 22 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after 23 it shall have become a law; provided, however, that if chapter 477 of 24 the laws of 2024 shall not have taken effect on or before such date then 25 the amendments to paragraph (d) of subdivision 4 of section 502 of the 26 vehicle and traffic law made by section one of this act shall take 27 effect on the same date and in the same manner as such chapter of the 28 laws of 2024, takes effect.