New York S 5415: Imposes strict liability on manufacturers, owners, and operators of unmanned motor vehicles

Bill Text

Bill Search and Legislative Information | New York State Assembly 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

 Skip to main content 

 New York State Assembly

 Speaker Carl E. Heastie

 --> 
 --> 

 --> 

• 
 Assembly Members 

• 
 Legislative Info 

• 
 Public Hearings 

• 
 Speaker's Press 

• 
 Assembly Reports 

• 
 Committees & More 

• Bill Search Home
• Laws
• Legislative Calendar
• Public Hearing Schedule
• Assembly Calendars
• Assembly Committee Agenda 

 Javascript must be enabled to properly view this page. 

 Bill No.: 

• Summary 
• Actions 
• Committee&nbspVotes 
• Floor&nbspVotes 
• Memo 
• Text 
• LFIN 
• Chamber&nbspVideo/Transcript 
S05415 Summary:

BILL NOS05415 

&nbsp

SAME ASNo Same As

&nbsp

SPONSORLANZA

&nbsp

COSPNSR

&nbsp

MLTSPNSR

&nbsp

Add §389, V & T L

&nbsp

Imposes strict liability on manufacturers, owners, and operators of unmanned motor vehicles.

Go to top S05415 Actions:

BILL NOS05415 

&nbsp

02/21/2025REFERRED TO TRANSPORTATION

01/07/2026REFERRED TO TRANSPORTATION

Go to topS05415 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topS05415 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topS05415 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 5415

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN SENATE

 February 21, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by Sen. LANZA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
 printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation

 AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to imposing
 strict liability on manufacturers, owners, and operators of unmanned
 motor vehicles

 The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
 bly, do enact as follows:

 1 Section 1. The vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding a new
 2 section 389 to read as follows:
 3 § 389. Strict liability for manufacturers, owners, and operators of
 4 unmanned motor vehicles. 1. Every manufacturer, owner, and operator of
 5 unmanned motor vehicles used or operated in this state shall be held
 6 strictly liable and responsible for death or injuries to person or prop-
 7 erty resulting from the use or operation of such vehicle in this state,
 8 in the business of such owner or otherwise, by any person using or oper-
 9 ating the same with the permission, express or implied, of such owner.
 10 Whenever any unmanned motor vehicles shall be used in combination with
 11 one another, by attachment or tow, the person using or operating any one
 12 vehicle shall, for the purposes of this section, be deemed to be using
 13 or operating each vehicle in the combination, and the owners thereof
 14 shall be jointly and severally liable hereunder.
 15 2. As used in this section, "unmanned motor vehicle" means a "motor
 16 vehicle", as defined in section one hundred twenty-five of this chapter,
 17 except fire and police vehicles, "semitrailer" and "trailer" as defined
 18 in article one of this chapter, and all flying vehicles, whether or not
 19 such vehicles are used or operated upon a public highway, that does not
 20 carry a human operator.
 21 3. As used in this section, "owner" shall be as defined in section one
 22 hundred twenty-eight of this chapter and their liability under this
 23 section shall be joint and several. If a vehicle is sold under a
 24 contract of sale which reserves a security interest in the vehicle in

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD09009-01-5

 S. 5415 2

 1 favor of the vendor, such vendor or such vendor's assignee shall not,
 2 after delivery of such vehicle, be deemed an owner within the provisions
 3 of this section, but the vendee, or such vendee's assignee, receiving
 4 possession thereof, shall be deemed such owner notwithstanding the terms
 5 of such contract, until the vendor or such vendor's assignee shall
 6 retake possession of such vehicle. A secured party in whose favor there
 7 is a security interest in any vehicle out of such secured party's
 8 possession, shall not be deemed an owner within the provisions of this
 9 section.
 10 4. As used in this section, "manufacturer" shall be defined as any
 11 person or business entity engaged in manufacturing or producing unmanned
 12 motor vehicles.
 13 5. As used in this section, "operator" shall be defined as any person
 14 who has control over the unmanned motor vehicle.
 15 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
 16 it shall have become a law.

Go to top 

• 

 Sitemap 

 Request Information 

 Directions and Maps