GHSA maintains data on state laws surrounding a number of highway safety issues. Below is information regarding laws in the state of New York. For more information, consult the State Highway Safety Office.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders 1 year or older and under 14. Children under 1 prohibited.
Universal helmet law enacted 1967.
8 years
None
65
65
55
55
55
55
0.18
Yes
Yes
Mandatory for all convictions
Yes
Yes
Under 2 yrs (or until outgrows the top height or weight recommendations) in rear-facing child restraint
3 yrs or under unless over 40 lbs and no lap/shoulder belt available
4-7 yrs unless no lap/shoulder belt available
8 yrs and older must be restrained by a seatbelt
17 years with driver's ed. 18 years without driver's ed.
16
6
50 (15)
16 / 6
9 p.m. - 5 a.m. except NYC (unsupervised driving prohibited at all times) and Long Island (limited daytime unsupervised allowed)
No more than 1 under 21
Primary
All riders
All
Yes. Primary law.
No
No
All drivers. Primary law.
Permitted by state law and city ordinance
Specified jurisdictions
Permitted by state law
Specified jurisdictions; not permitted on controlled access highway exit ramp or within 300 feet following
None
Decriminalized and legal for medical use
None
With many people staying home during the coronavirus pandemic, once-crowded highways are now relatively empty, prompting more drivers to speed.
Story by Erin McLaughlin
April 25, 2020
Hecht, Kleeger & Damashek, P.C. is a personal injury firm based in New York, N.Y. Injury attorneys assist clients injured in motor vehicle crashes and other personal injury-related matters.
The New York Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee received a grant from the National Road Safety Foundation & GHSA to provide an informational webinar for law enforcement officers on the effects of drowsy driving in collaboration with Stony Brook University’s School of Health Technology & Management.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 16, 2019
CONTACT: Madison Forker, 202-580-7930
A new bill in New York would require all backseat passengers to wear seat belts. This story uses GHSA's information on state laws to contextualize this move.
February 21, 2019
Like many states in recent years, New York is considering legalizing recreational marijuana. This opinion column weighs the potential traffic safety implications of legalization, citing GHSA's guide to this issue.
Story by Sara Foss
January 7, 2019
To better recognize, assess and arrest drug-impaired drivers, New York trained an additional nine law enforcement officers as Drug Recognition Experts. GHSA Board Member and New York Governor's Traffic Safety Committee Assistant Commissioner Chuck DeWeese discusses.
