Enacts the Alexander John Smullen Traffic Safety Memorial Law

• Republican55
• Democratic36

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why Patricia Fahy says this is needed

This legislation is named in honor of Alexander John "AJ" Smullen who devastatingly passed away on March 6, 2024, in Albany, New York at the age of 14 following a fierce fight in the Pediatric ICU after being hit by a car on February 22, 2024. Just a few years prior, on August 21, 2022, Faith A. McFarland, 21, and Sean C. Bracken, 26, were tragically killed in a head-on collision when a drunk driver veered over into their lane and struck the car with incredible force. Sadly, the fatal accidents that killed all of these young individuals are far from the exception as the number of vehicle deaths in New York State continues to soar. According to a June 2024 Report, "Moving in the Wrong Direction," from New York State Comptroller DiNapoli, motor vehi- cle fatalities in New York State have risen by 25.8 percent since 2019. In 2022, there were 1,175 motor vehicle fatalities in New York, which is the highest number since 2013. Pedestrians were one-quarter of all crash fatalities in 2022, which is over 8 percentage points higher than the national average. In addition, about one-in-three fatalities in New York involved speeding (402 fatalities). According to data from the Institute for Traffic Safety Management & Research (ITSMR), in 2023 there were 308 pedestrian fatalities in motor vehicle crashes, constituting 28 percent of motor vehicle crash fatali- ties in the State. There were 259 fatalities in alcohol-related crashes, constituting 23 percent of motor vehicle crash fatalities in the State. In addition, there were 304 fatalities in drug-related crashes, consti- tuting 28 percent of motor vehicle crash fatalities in the State. This legislation is necessary to enact a program to allow family or friends the opportunity to purchase a sign to memorialize a victim or victims of fatal vehicle collisions, giving them some much-needed closure in their grief. These signs would also serve as an aid to raise awareness and act as a reminder about the serious, and often deadly, consequences of impaired or reckless driving.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.