On January 6th, nine-year-old Ibrihim Ahmed was killed crossing the street near his home in Ozone Park by a driver with a suspended license. The driver received no penalty for reckless driving or vehicular manslaughter, and was charged solely with using a suspended license.

Drivers take to our streets with suspended licenses each day. We know these drivers are dangerous, and yet the penalties they face for getting behind the wheel seldom include jail time, and trigger monetary fines that are minimal at best. Such policies provide zero deterrence to individuals to not flagrantly break the law and endanger all New Yorkers by driving a motor vehicle with a suspended license. Accordingly, Transportation Alternatives is calling for a comprehensive review of New York State Vehicle & Traffic Law §511, exploring opportunities to increase financial penalties while also reviewing the possibility of instituting mandatory prison sentencing for anyone caught driving with a suspended license

"In a City where deadly drivers are almost never held accountable, the slap on the wrist for people driving with suspended licenses is the last straw," says Paul Steely White, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives.

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