Legislators in Albany are close to passing Elle’s Law, a law designed to create a new type of reckless driving ticket by punishing those who recklessly drive and injure pedestrians.
Named after Elle Vandenberghe, a toddler, who was seriously injured by a motorist who was unsafely backing in Manhattan the wrong way on a one-way street.
If enacted, the law would impose an automatic 6-month suspension upon any driver who seriously injures a pedestrian while driving recklessly. The suspension would increase to a year for a second offense within 5 years of one another.
Currently, a motorist convicted of reckless driving ticket is considered a criminal because reckless driving is a misdemeanor. Also, if convicted of this charge, a motorist gets 5 points added to his or her New York driver’s license. Under the new law, these items remain the same.