Bill > S03459

This bill amends New York's vehicle and traffic law to expand protections for domestic and companion animals by requiring motorists to exercise greater care to avoid colliding with them. The bill broadens the definition of "domestic animal" to include not just livestock like sheep, cattle, and goats, but also companion animals such as dogs and cats, and other domesticated animals normally kept in or near a household. It increases penalties for drivers who cause physical or serious physical injury to these animals by failing to exercise due care, with fines ranging from $500 to $750 and potential imprisonment or mandatory accident prevention courses. The bill also significantly increases fines for leaving the scene of an animal injury without reporting, raising the first offense fine from $100 to $500 and the subsequent offense fine from $50-$100 to $200-$750. Additionally, the penalties are even higher for incidents involving service animals like guide dogs or hearing dogs. The changes aim to incentivize responsible driving and ensure that animals receive proper attention if injured in a motor vehicle incident. The law will take effect 60 days after becoming law.

Transportation and Infrastructure

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S3459