Starting June 1st, penalties for texting while driving increased from three points on a violator’s license to five points. A driver can get their license suspended if they receive 11 points during an 18-month period.

The new penalties come from the direction of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo—and it’s not the only thing he is doing to crack down on distracted drivers. The governor is also proposing legislation that would bring on tougher, new penalties for young and new drivers convicted of texting-while-driving. This legislation would have violators' licenses suspended for 60 days after their first conviction for texting while driving.

AAA fully supports both the new penalties and the proposed legislation. John A. Corlett, Legislative Committee Chairman for AAA New York State, said, “Texting-while-driving is one of the riskiest behaviors any driver can undertake and poses a danger to everyone on our roads. AAA also strongly supports the Governor’s plan to impose new penalties for texting-while-driving on new and younger drivers. There’s no reason that our least experienced drivers – teens with whom we are working to keep safe through graduated driver licensing and driver education, should be doing anything other than focusing on driving. In fact, traffic crashes remain the leading cause of death and injury for teens and surveys indicate texting is even more prevalent among young novice drivers. What that tells us is that even tougher penalties need to be put in place to affect behavior change.”

New York State Police will be increasing their enforcement on texting-while-driving throughout the summer.

E15, a potentially harmful fuel blend that poses increased risk for consumers is hitting markets before we know exactly how it affects our cars. And this new fuel, which contains up to 15 percent ethanol, could void your vehicle warranty - leaving you stuck with the bill for costly car repairs.

It's about time. The state Department of Transportation (DOT) is finally getting serious about trucks hitting overpasses on New York's parkways.

For decades, trucks have mistakenly made their way onto the cars-only parkways, and unless the trucker stops before approaching the low clearance of an overpass, it's often a slamming, roof-shearing, traffic-paralyzing mess.

AAA New York State urges the legislature to hold public bridge and tunnel authorities accountable, remove canal operations from Thruway oversight, enact no-fault insurance reforms, enact right to repair legislation, address senior mobility issues, and fix the highway trust fund.

Click here to read our letter.

Counties and municipalities feeling the recessionary pinch are once again seeking to close their fiscal gaps with revenue raised from drivers.
The New York State Legislature recently approved 50 red-light cameras to be erected at major intersections in Nassau an

In a press conference marking the one year anniversary of the Port Authority’s unprecedented toll hikes, officials from AAA New York and AAA North Jersey will call on the Port Authority to stop stonewalling the public and elected officials regarding the use of toll revenues.

That crash may have been no accident. That victim's medical bills may have been inflated more than a hot air balloon. As a result, criminals rake in hundreds of millions of dollars while drivers throughout the state foot the bill.

New York is awash in a tsunami of insurance fraud, and it's no surprise that drivers in the state face the fourth-highest no-fault rates in the nation.

Out-of-State Drivers Should Not Be Singled Out for Higher Toll Charges Than In-State Residents.

Click here to read the press release.

Effective January 1, 2012, New York State joined 41 other states that give law enforcement and roadside workers the margin of safety they need to do their job. The Ambrose-Searles Move Over Act now requires drivers to "move over" for tow trucks, maintenance, and other hazard vehicles. As a way to increase awareness of this new law, AAA New York State is launching their "Slow Down, Move Over, It's the Law" campaign. This campaign emphasizes the following updates to the law:

--The law applies to any stopped emergency response, tow truck or maintenance vehicle with its lights flashing.

--On parkways, interstates and other controlled access highways with multiple lanes, drivers must move from the lane immediately adjacent to the emergency vehicle, unless traffic or other hazards exist to prevent doing so safely.

--On all roads, drivers must reduce speed.

--Violators will be punished with a $150 fine plus a state surcharge of $80-85, and will receive two violation points on their license.

A PDF of the campaign materials can be downloaded as an 11x17 poster or a 4x9 bookmark 

Please call (516) 535-2566 if you would like to order additional materials.