S 8660: Relates to enacting the "comprehensive passenger safety enhancement act" to enhance passenger safety in commercial passenger vehicles.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 8660  IN SENATE January 7, 2026 ___________ Introduced by Sen. STEC -- 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 and the transportation law, in relation to establishing mandatory safety belt use, pre-trip safety briefings, and regular safety belt inspections for commercial passen- ger vehicles The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as 2 the "comprehensive passenger safety enhancement act". 3 § 2. Legislative purpose. The legislature finds that enhanced safety 4 measures for passengers in commercially operated vehicles are essential 5 to reduce injuries and fatalities. In alignment with recommendations 6 from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) following the fatal 7 2023 bus and truck collision in Louisville, NY, this act aims to improve 8 passenger safety by mandating seat belt use, conducting pre-trip safety 9 briefings, requiring regular inspections, and enforcing stricter compli- 10 ance measures. 11 § 3. Section 1229-c of the vehicle and traffic law is amended by 12 adding a new subdivision 3-e to read as follows: 13 3-e. (a) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision three-d of this 14 section, no person shall operate a commercial vehicle in this state 15 unless: 16 (i) such person is restrained by a safety belt approved by the commis- 17 sioner, and all passengers are restrained by a safety belt approved by 18 the commissioner; 19 (ii) such person conducts regular inspections of all safety belts in 20 such commercial vehicle to ensure the functionality, accessibility, and 21 proper maintenance of such safety belts. Such person shall maintain 22 records of all safety belt inspections conducted pursuant to this 23 subparagraph and make such records available for review by the depart- 24 ment and the department of transportation; 25 (iii) such person, prior to operating such commercial vehicle, 26 conducts safety briefings to inform passengers of the importance of EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD09604-01-5 
 S. 8660 2 1 wearing safety belts, proper use of safety belts, and risks associated 2 with not wearing safety belts. 3 (b) No person shall be a passenger in a commercial vehicle unless such 4 passenger is restrained by a safety belt approved by the commissioner. 5 § 4. Paragraphs (d) and (e) of subdivision 4 of section 1229-c of the 6 vehicle and traffic law, as added by chapter 434 of the laws of 2024, 7 are amended and two new subdivisions (f) and (g) are added to read as 8 follows: 9 (d) "charter bus" shall mean a bus manufactured or assembled on or 10 after November twenty-eighth, two thousand sixteen transporting passen- 11 gers for compensation in a chartered party; [and] 12 (e) "chartered party" shall mean a group of persons who, pursuant to a 13 common purpose and under a single contract and at a fixed charge, have 14 acquired exclusive use of a bus to travel together as a group to a 15 specific destination or for a particular itinerary either agreed upon in 16 advance or modified after having left the place of origin by such 17 group[.]; 18 (f) "commercial vehicle" shall mean any vehicle used to transport more 19 than eight passengers, including the driver, whether or not for compen- 20 sation, and shall include charter buses; and 21 (g) "safety belt" shall mean any restraint system designed to secure 22 an occupant of a vehicle and reduce the risk of injury to such occupant 23 in the event of a collision. 24 § 5. Subdivisions 5 and 9 of section 1229-c of the vehicle and traffic 25 law, as amended by chapter 434 of the laws of 2024, is amended to read 26 as follows: 27 5. Any person who violates the provisions of subdivision three, 28 three-c, three-d, three-e or ten-a of this section shall be punished by 29 a civil fine of up to fifty dollars. Any person who violates the 30 provisions of subdivision one, two, eleven or thirteen of this section 31 shall be punished by a civil fine of not less than twenty-five nor more 32 than one hundred dollars. In any prosecution or proceeding alleging a 33 violation of paragraph (b) of subdivision one or paragraph (c) of subdi- 34 vision two of this section, it shall be an affirmative defense that the 35 passenger subject to the requirements of such paragraphs was restrained 36 by a safety belt and measures more than four feet nine inches in height 37 and/or weighs more than one hundred pounds. In any prosecution or 38 proceeding alleging a violation of paragraph (b) or paragraph (c) of 39 subdivision three-c of this section, it shall be an affirmative defense 40 that such taxi or livery was in violation of subdivision four-b of 41 section three hundred eighty-three of this chapter. In any prosecution 42 or proceeding alleging a violation of subdivision three-d of this 43 section, it shall be an affirmative defense that such charter bus was 44 not equipped with seat belts, or such seat belts were not clearly visi- 45 ble, accessible, or maintained in good working order. 46 9. Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision four of this section, 47 (a) the provisions of this section shall not apply to buses other than 48 school buses, except as otherwise provided in [subdivision] subdivisions 49 three-d and three-e of this section and except that the provisions of 50 subdivision three-a of this section shall be applicable to any person 51 operating a charter bus and to charter bus passengers age eight or 52 older, and (b) the provisions of subdivisions one, two, three and 53 three-a of this section shall not apply to taxis and liveries except 54 that the provisions of subdivision three-a of this section shall be 55 applicable to any person operating a taxi or livery and to taxi and 56 livery passengers age eight or older. 
 S. 8660 3 1 § 6. Section 14 of the transportation law is amended by adding a new 2 subdivision 37 to read as follows: 3 37. To develop and distribute, in collaboration with transportation 4 unions and associations, educational materials to promote seat belt use 5 and safe seat belt practices. 6 § 7. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after 7 it shall have become a law; provided, however, that if chapter 434 of 8 the laws of 2024 shall not have taken effect on or before such date then 9 sections four and five of this act shall take effect on the same date 10 and in the same manner as such chapter of the laws of 2024, takes 11 effect. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of 12 any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on 13 its effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before 14 such effective date.