New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has passed into law Senate Bill 4268, also known as Slow Down to Get Around. This legislation, which will go into effect in November, requires motorists to slow down when passing waste and recycling collection vehicles when their safety lights are flashing. It will take effect on November 1.

“This law is about the safety of waste and recycling collectors who serve our communities statewide,” said Steve Changaris, New York State chapter manager for the National Waste & Recycling Association, in a press release. “Now, all motorists are to exercise caution and must slow down to get around waste and recycling vehicles, which will save lives and prevent unnecessary accidents and injuries. Our focus now turns to raising awareness of the new law and educating New Yorkers of the dangers that collection workers face daily on our roadways.”

Last year, the State of Indiana also passed this legislation. Other states that have enacted this law include Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Virginia, Wisconsin and West Virginia.

“As one of the largest states in the country, New York’s enactment of this law is an important milestone in our efforts to protect solid waste and recycling workers. Having spent a fair amount of time in New York, I can attest to the impatience of some of drivers there, and hope that this law will help educate New Yorkers to drive more cautiously and carefully near our trucks," says Executive Director and CEO of Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) David Biderman. "This education process will require cooperation and coordination among the public and private sectors, both of whose employees and trucks face the struck by hazard that this law seeks to address. SWANA stands ready to work with its partners to provide such education throughout the Empire State.”