Joanna Molloy at the NY Daily News comments
...it seems extreme to charge you for an ambulance if you get sideswiped by people driving in to see the Rockefeller Center tree. Cabbies and truck drivers are just doing their jobs when they're behind the wheel - and they have no money left after paying all their traffic tickets, anyway. Insurance companies won't want to pay these fees. Will this cause folks to flee the scene of an accident to avoid paying nearly $500? Will motorists with whiplash start driving themselves to the hospital?The crash tax is scheduled to take effect in July. The NY Fire Departments expects to make $1 million on the fee and figure auto insurers will pay for it.
USA Today reports that hearings on the tax are set for next month. Since Bloomberg is behind it, "foes of the tax face an uphill battle," reports USA Today.
