HAUPPAUGE, N.Y. (WBEN) — A New York State senator on Monday proposed a bill that would make the state liable for pothole damages to vehicles all year long.
Under current rules, the state can only be held liable for damages to a vehicle caused by potholes on the roadways from mid-May to mid-November.
However, if you ask Long Islanders, many have stories to tell about how their vehicles have been damaged by roads all year long.
“I finally went out and bought a brand new car. I guess it had been about two, three weeks since I owned the car that I already went through my first set of two tired from potholes. I had those repaired and it wasn't a month later that I went through the other two tires,” said Frank Delustro.
He is just one of many New Yorkers who believe the state should always be responsible for fixing damages done to a vehicle due to roadways being left in disarray.
Long Island Sen. Alexis Weik also shares that sentiment and wants to make sure New Yorkers can be financially compensated, no matter the time of year.
“My bill would erase that time and make the state responsible year-round for any damages that motorists sustain to their car,” she said.
New York State Assemblyman Doug Smith is supporting the bill and said the state should not worry about paying for damages to vehicles if roadways are properly maintained.
Smith added that with President Joe Biden’s new $1 trillion infrastructure bill, New York State will have plenty of funding to ensure roadways are always in tip-top shape.
“The state needs to stand with the integrity of the roadways we need to fix the roadways and then we need to stand by them,” he said. “Our constituents pay a tremendous amount of property taxes, they should expect that if something should happen to their car that it will be covered.”
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