Senate Passes Avella's Vehicular Crimes Bills

The State Senate has passed four bills sponsored by Sen. Tony Avella, D-Bayside, that will increase penalties for vehicular crimes.

One bill, which was proposed by Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, R-Rockville Center, and co-sponsored by Avella, calls for tougher sentences for stealing a car when a child under the age of 16 is in the vehicle.

“This type of crime can be extremely traumatizing and dangerous to all the parties involved, particularly when a child becomes trapped in a stolen vehicle,” Avella said. “These children can find themselves caught in a police chase, abandoned or harmed.”

Another bill would establish a new crime of staging a motor-vehicle accident with the intent to commit insurance fraud.

The legislation also calls for drivers caught with a suspended or revoked license to be fined up to a maximum $5,000 or 180 days in jail.

The fourth bill would add grand larceny and illegal possession as predicate crimes, which could lead to increased penalties for violators who had been convicted of the unauthorized use of a motor vehicle within the previous 10 years.

The senator said he sponsored the bills in an attempt to take irresponsible drivers off the road.

“By creating laws specifically designed to punish these offenders, we can reduce these crimes,” he said. “There are enough dangers on the road already and the costs associated with owning a vehicle continue to climb, we need to do everything we can to ease these burdens and take care of our motorists.”

The 111th Precinct could not be immediately reached for comment on the bills.