2023 New York Laws › VAT - Vehicle and Traffic › Title 3 - Safety Responsibility; Financial Security; Equipment; Inspection; Size and Weight; and Other Provisions › Article 7 - Motor Vehicle Safety Responsibility Act › 335 - Security and Proof Required Following Accident.

§ 335. Security  and  proof  required following accident. (a) Not less
than ten days nor more than sixty days  after  receipt  by  him  of  the
report  or  notice of an accident which has resulted in bodily injury or
death, or in damage to the property of any one person in excess  of  one
thousand  dollars,  the commissioner shall forthwith suspend the license
of  any  person  operating,  and  the  registration   certificates   and
registration  plates of any person owning, a motor vehicle in any manner
involved in such accident unless and until such operator (or  chauffeur)
or  owner  or  both  shall  have  previously  furnished  or  immediately
furnishes security sufficient in the judgment  of  the  commissioner  to
satisfy  any  judgment  or  judgments  for  damages  resulting from such
accident as  may  be  recovered  against  such  owner  or  operator  (or
chauffeur)  by  or  on  behalf  of  any  aggrieved  person  or his legal
representative,  and  unless  and  until  such  owner  or  operator  (or
chauffeur)  or  both  shall  immediately furnish and thereafter maintain
proof  of  financial  responsibility  in  the  future.  Where  erroneous
information  with respect to insurance coverage of the owner or operator
(or chauffeur) of any such vehicle is furnished to the commissioner,  he
shall  take appropriate action as above provided within sixty days after
the receipt by him of correct information with respect to such coverage.
This section shall  not  apply:  (1)  to  such  owner  or  operator  (or
chauffeur) if such owner had in effect at the time of such accident with
respect to such motor vehicle a standard provisions automobile liability
policy  in form approved by the superintendent of financial services and
issued by an insurance company authorized to do business in  this  state
or,  if  such  motor  vehicle  was not registered in this state or was a
motor vehicle which was registered elsewhere than in this state  at  the
effective  date  of  the  policy, or the most recent renewal thereof, an
automobile  liability  policy  acceptable  to  the   superintendent   of
financial  services  as  substantially  the  equivalent of such standard
provisions  automobile  liability  policy;  (2)  to  such  operator  (or
chauffeur),  if  not  the  owner  of such motor vehicle, if there was in
effect at the time of such accident such a policy with  respect  to  his
operation  of  motor vehicles not owned by him or, if such motor vehicle
was a private passenger motor vehicle, with respect to his operation  of
private  passenger  motor vehicles not owned by him or (3) to such owner
or operator (or chauffeur) if the liability of such  owner  or  operator
(or  chauffeur)  for  damages  resulting  from  such accident is, in the
judgment of the commissioner, covered by any  other  form  of  liability
insurance  policy  issued  by  an  insurance  company  authorized  to do
business in this state or by a bond, provided every such policy or  bond
mentioned  herein  is  subject,  if  the accident has resulted in bodily
injury, to a limit, exclusive of  interest  and  costs,  of  twenty-five
thousand  dollars  or death to a limit, exclusive of interest and costs,
of fifty thousand dollars, because of bodily injury to or death  of  one
person in any one accident and, subject to said limit for one person, to
a  limit  of  fifty  thousand dollars because of bodily injury to or one
hundred thousand dollars because of death of two or more persons in  any
one  accident,  and,  if  the  accident  has  resulted  in  injury to or
destruction of property, to a limit of ten thousand dollars  because  of
injury  to  or  destruction of property of others in any one accident or
(4) to such owner or operator if the commissioner shall  determine  that
the  failure  to  have  liability coverage as described above was caused
solely by the negligence or malfeasance  of  a  person  other  than  the
person whose license or registration has been suspended or is subject to
suspension, and that the person seeking to avoid such suspension was not
aware  of  the lack of such liability coverage. However, with respect to
the provisions of (4) above, the burden  of  proof  shall  be  upon  the

person  seeking  to avoid such suspension action. Provided further, that
such facts shall be established by clear and convincing evidence, either
by the submission of affidavits or at a hearing called in the discretion
of the commissioner.
Upon  receipt  of  notice  of  such accident, the insurance carrier or
surety company which issued such policy or bond shall furnish for filing
with the commissioner a written notice that such policy or bond  was  in
effect  at the time of such accident or shall notify the commissioner in
such manner as he may require in case such policy or  bond  was  not  in
effect at the time of such accident.
In  case  any  such operator (or chauffeur) or owner has no license to
operate issued under this chapter or no motor vehicle registered in  his
name  in  this  state, he shall not be allowed a license or registration
until he has complied with this article to the same extent as  would  be
necessary  if  he  had  held  an operator's or chauffeur's license and a
motor vehicle registration issued under this chapter at the time of  the
accident.
(b)  Such  security,  where ordered, shall be in such form and in such
amount as the commissioner may require, but in no case in excess of  the
amount  of  proof  required  by  section three hundred forty-one of this
article. The commissioner may reduce the amount of security  ordered  in
any  case  within  six months after the date of the accident, if, in his
judgment, the  amount  ordered  is  too  large.  In  case  the  security
originally  ordered  has  been  deposited, the excess deposited over the
reduced amount ordered  shall  be  returned  to  the  depositor  or  his
personal  representative  forthwith,  notwithstanding  the provisions of
subdivision (c) of this section.
(c) Security furnished in compliance with  the  requirements  of  this
section  shall  be  placed  by  the  commissioner  in the custody of the
commissioner of taxation and finance and shall be applicable only to the
payment of a judgment against the depositor for damages arising  out  of
the  accident  in  question in an action at law begun not later than one
year after the  date  of  such  accident  or,  upon  assignment  of  the
depositor, made not later than one year after the date of such accident,
to  the  settlement  of  a  claim  arising out of such accident, or upon
assignment of the depositor, made after the expiration of one year after
the date of such accident, to the settlement of an action at  law  begun
not  later  than  one  year after the date of such accident. All of such
payments made out of the deposited security shall be  made  as  follows:
Payment  shall  first  be  made to each of the judgment creditors and to
each of the claimants who have agreed  to  settle  their  claims,  whose
damages  were  evaluated  by  the commissioner, in an amount not greater
than the amount fixed in  their  respective  evaluations.  Whenever  the
commissioner  shall  be  given  evidence,  satisfactory to him, that the
amounts of all claims for damages against the depositor arising  out  of
such  accident  are  fixed,  either by judgment or settlement agreement,
payment shall be made out of  any  balance  remaining  after  the  first
distribution  to  each  of  those  persons whose judgments or settlement
amounts have not been fully paid but whose damages were evaluated by the
commissioner,  in  proportion  to  the  amounts  of   their   respective
evaluations  unless there is sufficient to make payment in full; and any
balance remaining after the first and second distributions are completed
shall be paid to those judgment creditors and those claimants  who  have
agreed  to  settle their claims but whose damages were not evaluated, in
proportion to the amounts of their respective  judgments  or  settlement
amounts  unless  there  is  sufficient  to  make  payment  in full. Such
deposit, or any balance thereof, shall be returned to the  depositor  or
his  personal representative whenever after the expiration of such year,

the commissioner shall be given  evidence,  satisfactory  to  him,  that
there  is  no  such  action  pending and no such judgment unsatisfied or
whenever, before the expiration of such year, the commissioner shall  be
given  evidence,  satisfactory  to  him,  that there is no such judgment
unsatisfied and that there is no existing cause of  action  against  the
depositor for damages arising out of such accident.
(c-1) After security, furnished in compliance with the requirements of
this  section,  has remained on deposit for five years, the commissioner
shall make a determination as to whether the  deposit,  or  any  balance
thereof,  is returnable to the depositor or the person entitled thereto.
In the event that such deposit, or any balance thereof, is determined to
be returnable, but remains unclaimed by  the  depositor  or  the  person
entitled  thereto  for  a  period of one year following the date of such
determination, such unclaimed deposit, or any balance thereof, shall  be
deemed  abandoned  property  subject  to the provisions of the abandoned
property law.
(d) The provisions of subdivision (a) of this section shall not  apply
to  the  owner  of  a  motor  vehicle  operated  by  one having obtained
possession or control thereof without the expressed or  implied  consent
of  such owner, to a police officer or member of the state police who is
compelled to assume the custody and operation  of  a  motor  vehicle  of
another  because  such  motor vehicle was (1) stolen from or lost by the
owner, (2) abandoned, either by the owner or any other  person  with  or
without  the owner's consent, (3) is being operated by a person disabled
so as not to be able to operate it properly, or (4) is being operated by
an intoxicated person; or to either the owner or  operator  of  a  motor
vehicle  involved  in an accident wherein no damage or injury was caused
to other than the person or property of such owner or operator.
(e) In lieu of deposit of  security  when  required  pursuant  to  the
provisions  of  this  section  the  commissioner  may  accept  a written
agreement, executed and acknowledged by the person required  to  deposit
security  and  any  person  who  has  sustained bodily injury, including
death, or damage to his property, or his legal representative, providing
for the payment of an agreed amount in installments, with respect to the
claims of such  person  for  injuries  or  damages  resulting  from  the
accident.  In  the  event of default in payment of any installment under
such agreement, then upon notice of such default the commissioner  shall
forthwith   suspend   the  license  and  registration  certificates  and
registration plates of the person in  default  until  release  has  been
filed with the commissioner indicating that the entire agreed amount has
been  paid. But in no case shall such agreement be used in lieu of proof
of maintenance  of  financial  responsibility  in  the  future  required
pursuant to the provisions of this section.