New York Is Making Traffic Stops Easier For Drivers And Officers

Like most people, I absolutely despise traffic stops. Luckily, I'm a safe and cautious driver, so I've only been pulled over once or twice, but they were still not experiences I would like to re-live.

Sure, most people hate being pulled over, but for some members of society, this can go from mildly annoying to a flat-out nightmare. Luckily, New York State is making some changes to make the process easier for everyone.

Expanding the "Blue Envelope Bill"

The state of New York is currently looking to expand their Blue Envelope Program, which helps streamline traffic stops for certain members of our community. Specifically, this program is meant to help neurodivergent drivers, which can include folks with ADHD, autism, Tourette's, or other mental health disorders.

This program helps streamline the process for both neurodivergent drivers and officers by keeping the titular "blue envelope" in vehicles at all times. This allows officers to be more cautious during stops, and make less hasty judgements.

What Does the Blue Envelope Entail?

As stated earlier, the blue envelope is meant to lower misunderstandings between officers and drivers at traffic stops. As such, it contains a valid drivers license, registration, insurance card, and any other essential documents.

The outside of the envelope would be required to include any information about the driver, such as effective communication methods and stress relief for emergency/police officers. In conjunction with envelopes being available at every state and county DMV office, officers will be required to partake in a training program that informs them more on the point of the blue envelope, mental health disorders they may come across, and effective communication methods with everyone they stop.