The head of the State Association of Chiefs of Police has written to Governor Andrew Cuomo requesting that he approve expansion of ride-sharing services in upstate New York to combat drunk driving.
President of the Association and Cheektowaga Police Chief David Zack says despite many efforts to curb drunk driving, numbers in upstate New York are still high.
"66% of all DWI arrests in New York State come from upstate, despite that fact that we’re only 51% of the licensed drivers in New York State."
Zack says these numbers have remained pretty steady in recent years, and that there needs to be more creative and fresh ways to curb drunk driving. He proposed the push for ride sharing because it’s popular with young people.
"It’s a trendy thing to do. Every major city in the United States has ride sharing. It’s great for New York City. So why isn’t it good for western New York and upstate New York?"
President of the Upstate Transportation Association John Tomassi responded to Zack's letter with a statement expressing concerns about driver regulation saying, “While we appreciate its effort to increase public safety, we are surprised that the Association of Chiefs of Police signaled support for upstate ridesharing while Uber refuses to fingerprint drivers outside New York City. Without fingerprint background checks and other safety regulations, there will be little to stop violent criminals from driving on the Uber platform and putting riders’ lives at risk. There is no reason why upstate riders should not have the same ridesharing safety protections as New York City residents. We hope the Association of Chiefs of Police will immediately clarify its position and promote fingerprinting for all drivers.”