ALBANY — State lawmakers have struck a deal that would require operators of stretch limos to retrofit their vehicles with seat belts by 2023, The Post has learned.
New stretch limos will be required to have seat belts beginning in 2021.
The new rules come after a tragic October 2018 upstate limo crash killed 20 people — including all 17 people riding in one limo.
The National Transportation Safety Board released a safety recommendation report in October concluding seat belts would have saved the lives of some passengers — if they had been wearing them.
Investigators found not one of the passengers were wearing the belts, as examinations of the retrofitted 2001 Ford Excursion showed belts were not easily accessible in the converted vehicle.
New York law does not currently require limousines to have seat belts in the back seat.
Families who lost loved ones in the horrific Schoharie crash as well as another accident in Cutchogue, Long Island, in July 2015, support the fixes.
“None of this progress could have been made without the families of the victims involved in the limo crashes in Schoharie and Cutchogue,” said one of its sponsors, state Sen. Tim Kennedy (D-Buffalo).
“These families have truly channeled their grief into action, and have been the driving force behind enacting these stricter regulations.”
The state Senate passed a package of similar bills last June, which failed to clear the Assembly.
Other changes include requiring stretch limos to have built-in GPS tracking systems, adding criminal and financial penalties for illegal U-turns and new drug and alcohol test requirements for drivers.