Statewide Crackdown on Drunk and Reckless Driving this Memorial Day Weekend

The New York State Police and local law enforcement statewide will increase patrols to combat drunk, impaired and reckless driving this Memorial Day weekend. The STOP-DWI enforcement period runs through Monday, May 29, 2017. Memorial Day is one of the busiest travel holidays of the year and police will be out in force to remove impaired and reckless drivers from our highways.

State Police Superintendent George P. Beach II said, “As you plan your holiday weekend, remember to make safety your top priority. Drive sober, wear your seat belt and put down your smart phone. If your plans include alcohol, assign a designated driver or make other arrangements for a safe ride home. Troopers will be highly visible this weekend and will have zero tolerance for impaired and reckless drivers.”
Drivers can expect to see sobriety checkpoints and increased patrols by State Police and local law enforcement agencies during this holiday weekend. Troopers will be using both marked State Police vehicles and Concealed Identity Traffic Enforcement (CITE) vehicles as part of this crackdown in order to more easily identify motorists who are violating the law. CITE vehicles allow the Trooper to better observe driving violations.  These vehicles blend in with every day traffic but are unmistakable as emergency vehicles once the emergency lighting is activated.

On Memorial Day weekend in 2016, Troopers arrested 225 people for drinking and driving, issued nearly 12,000 tickets, and responded to three fatal motor vehicle crashes that killed three people.  In addition, 38 counties and 131 agencies participated in last year’s Memorial Day Crackdown resulting in 196 DWI/DWAI arrests, five DWAI-Drug only arrests, 124 other arrests and 1,671 Vehicle and Traffic summonses.   
 
According to the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC), drunk driving killed 313 people and injured more than 5,300 others in New York State during 2015. Another 244 people were killed in drug-related crashes. This initiative is partially funded by the GTSC.
 

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Submitted by Brewster, NY

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