City Council passes bill to require signs in taxis warning against assaulting driversTaxis will soon display signs warning of penalties of assaulting the driver.
Every taxi and livery car will have to display a sign warning passengers that beating up their driver carries hard time, under a bill passed by the City Council Wednesday.
The legislation requires yellow and green taxis and livery cars to install signs that read, “Assaulting a taxi or livery driver is punishable up to 25 years in prison.”
Taxi drivers say they work under constant threat of violence, and are 20 times more likely to be killed on the job than the average worker.
So far this year, there have been 40 assaults against drivers.
Councilman Rory Lancman (D-Queens), the sponsor, said the sign would provide potential assailants “a sudden jolt of awareness that what they’re contemplating doing is very wrong and will results in very serious consequences.”
“Some percentage of people will think better of it and leave that driver alone,” he said.
The only exception to the requirement would be for so-called “black cars” that transport clients for corporate accounts.
source:
http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailyp ... -1.1983641