NY State Police Issued More Than 13,000 Tickets During St. Patrick's Day Weekend
The state's STOP-DWI initiative started on March 15 and continued through March 18.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and other state officials recently announced that NY State Police issued 13,038 tickets and arrested 259 people for impaired driving during the St. Patrick's Day weekend impaired driving crackdown. The STOP-DWI initiative started on Friday, March 15 and continued through March 18.
"New York has zero tolerance for reckless or impaired driving, and St. Patrick's Day weekend is no excuse to engage in illegal behavior," Cuomo said. "These results send a message to drivers that we will continue to aggressively enforce the law to keep our highways safe."
"Traffic safety and preventing avoidable tragedies continues to be a top priority for the State Police. Make the smart decision and always make plans for a safe and sober ride home," Acting Superintendent Keith M. Corlett said. "Together, we can prevent the injuries and deaths associated with impaired driving, and make our roads safer."
During the special enforcement period, which was funded by the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee, the New York State Police increased patrols and conducted sobriety checkpoints to deter, identify, and arrest impaired drivers. State troopers arrested 259 people for DWI and investigated 594 automobile crashes, including 85 crashes that resulted in injuries. There were no fatalities in crashes during the enforcement period.
As part of the enforcement, troopers also targeted speeding, aggressive and distracted drivers across the State. Tickets that were issued included:
- Speeding: 4,514
- Distracted driving: 371
- Seat belt violations: 374
- Move Over law: 188
Troopers used both marked State Police vehicles and Concealed Identity Traffic Enforcement (CITE) vehicles as part of the crackdown in order to more easily identify motorists who are violating the law. CITE vehicles blend in with everyday traffic but are unmistakable as emergency vehicles once the emergency lighting is activated, according to the news release from the governor's office.