Street Safety

Testify Tomorrow for Stronger Laws to Deter Deadly Driving

One week after nine-year-old Ibrihim Ahmed was struck and killed by Alexander Aponte, who was driving without a valid license, the City Council's Public Safety Committee is taking a step to strengthen the inadequate penalties in place to deter reckless driving. Readers will recall that Aponte got off with a charge of driving with a suspended license, which carries minimal fines and seldom results in any jail time.

By Ben Fried

4:44 PM EST on January 12, 2009

One week after nine-year-old Ibrihim Ahmed was struck and killed by Alexander Aponte, who was driving without a valid license, the City Council’s Public Safety Committee is taking a step to strengthen the inadequate penalties in place to deter reckless driving. Readers will recall that Aponte got off with a charge of driving with a suspended license, which carries minimal fines and seldom results in any jail time.

The committee will hold a hearing tomorrow on Resolution 145, which calls upon Albany “to address the legal loopholes that allow dangerous and
deadly drivers to drive under the influence of drugs or to drive with a
suspended or revoked license.”

You can testify at the hearing, which begins at 1:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall.

Ben Fried

Ben Fried started as a Streetsblog reporter in 2008 and led the site as editor-in-chief from 2010 to 2018. He lives in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, with his wife.

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