Recent Streetsblog NYC posts about New York State DMV

Cyclists Sue New York State DMV for Unlawful Ticket Penalties

By Brad Aaron | Sep 17, 2014 | 6 Comments

New York City cyclists have filed a class action lawsuit against the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles for administering penalties for traffic violations that by law apply only to motorists. In an August Streetsblog column, attorney Steve Vaccaro reported that the DMV cheats cyclists who plead guilty to traffic tickets online by billing […]

New York Driver’s Ed Is a Joke

By Stephen Miller | Sep 15, 2014 | 55 Comments

Want a driver’s license? It’s easy. Fill out some paperwork and pop on over to the DMV to take a 20-question test for your learner’s permit. Then, get in some practice with a licensed driver. (But if you’re over 18, you can just ignore that part!) Then sit through a five-hour course before taking a […]

Hoylman to New York State DMV: Stop Unlawfully Penalizing NYC Cyclists

By Brad Aaron | Sep 4, 2014 | 3 Comments

State Senator Brad Hoylman is asking the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles to stop issuing improper fines and adding drivers license points for bicycling tickets. Hoylman also wants DMV to refund money to cyclists who were wrongly fined, and rescind points that should not have been attached to their licenses. In an August “Street […]

New York State DMV Admits to Cheating Cyclists, But Doesn’t Say It Will Stop

By Brad Aaron | Aug 20, 2014 | 10 Comments

The New York State DMV admits that it is incorrectly overcharging cyclists for traffic violations and wrongly adding points to their drivers licenses, but the agency hasn’t agreed to stop doing it. In his most recent Streetsblog column, attorney Steve Vaccaro pointed out that the DMV’s online payment system does not distinguish between bikes and […]

DMV Cheating Cyclists With Unlawful Surcharges and License Points

By Steve Vaccaro | Aug 19, 2014 | 146 Comments

As NYPD’s latest bike ticket blitz — “Operation Safe Cycle” — rolls into its second week, here at my law firm we’ve been getting more than the usual number of phone calls and emails from cyclists with questions about summonses. Usually the big question in these discussions is whether to plead guilty, not how to plead guilty. […]

Bronx DWI Pedestrian Killer Gets 90 Days and Six-Month License Suspension

By Brad Aaron | Apr 2, 2014 | 2 Comments

A judge sentenced a convicted drunk driver to just 90 days in jail and a six-month license suspension for killing a pedestrian in the Bronx. Thomas Riley, 23, was crossing East Fordham Road near Bathgate Avenue at around 4:20 a.m. on March 20, 2011, when 48-year-old Seth Johnson struck and killed him with a minivan, according […]

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