Last weekend, three New Yorkers were killed by drivers with suspended licenses. Today, Transportation Alternatives joined families of victims and Council Member Larry Seabrook on the steps of City Hall to call for tougher laws and enforcement that will keep suspended and unlicensed drivers off the road.

On November 25th, 78-year-old Peter Sabados and 77-year-old and Lillian Sabados were struck on their way to a Thanksgiving Mass as they carried canned goods for the poor to their church, and on November 27th, 42-year-old bride-to-be Sonya Gayle Powell was hit as she crossed Baychester Avenue as she returned from Christmas shopping. The driver that killed Sonya reportedly had 4 suspensions on his license. The driver that killed Peter and Lillian Sabados reportedly had 29 suspensions on his license. These crashes are not isolated. Unlicensed and suspended drivers pose a continual and dangerous threat on New York State roadways. Unlicensed drivers are nearly four times as likely to be involved in traffic crashes as those with valid licenses. And 75% of drivers with suspended licenses continue to drive.

"What kind of sick system encourages dangerous drivers to get back behind the wheel again and again, only to give them a slap on the wrist when they inevitably kill or injure others?" asks Paul Steely White, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives. "New York needs stronger laws and enforcement to keep the most dangerous drivers from taking lives."

"Sonya was a kind and loving person who touched the lives of thousands of people. She would have wanted any legislative action possible to ensure that this type of tragedy doesn't happen to any other family," says David Shephard, Sonya Powell's fiancé.

"Making our streets safer for our children and seniors is our utmost priority", says Teresa Signorelli, Principal of Our Lady Queen of Peace, the Staten Island church to which the Sabados were walking when struck.

"The senseless carnage on our roads has to stop. We cannot continue to allow unlicensed drivers to get behind the wheel and take away the lives of innocent people," says Council Member Larry Seabrook, who represented Sonya Powell. "I am pleased that Transportation Alternatives is taking a leading role in this and I look forward to working with them to enact legislation that would enforce stiffer penalties for drivers who continue to drive with suspended licenses. We must work together to ensure safety on our roads."

To prevent those illegally behind the wheel from injuring others, T.A. is calling for three reforms:

• Get unlicensed drivers off New York State roadways. New York State should follow the lead of other states and impose vehicle sanctions with the first offense. These measures have been shown to reduce crash rates among these drivers by as much as 35% among repeat offenders. The legislature should strengthen section §511-b of the VTL to empower police to immediately impound the vehicle of anyone caught driving with a suspended license.
• Strengthen penalties against unlicensed drivers that injure or kill. T.A. urges the New York State Legislature to pass Assembly bill #5124, introduced by Assembly Member Lentol. Under this law, any driver that has committed two or more dangerous moving violations within the 18 months before a fatal or injurious crash could be charged with a felony.
• Create an Office of Road Safety at New York City Hall to facilitate increased and targeted enforcement. By increasing moving violation performance objectives for NYPD officers, and demanding more stringent, constant traffic enforcement, many more suspended drivers will be caught before they have a chance to kill.

"We can't have people with multiple suspensions on their licenses zooming around like cowboys in the Wild West," says Assemblyman Joseph R. Lentol, sponsor of a bill that would deter driving with a suspended license. "These recent tragedies prove that New York State needs to crack down on reckless drivers."

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