Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that State Police
issued 13,693 tickets and arrested 225 people for impaired driving over
Memorial Day weekend, as part of the STOP-DWI traffic enforcement period. The
initiative, which targeted impaired and reckless drivers, began on Friday, May
24 and continued through Monday, May 27.
"Our message is simple: If you choose to drive after
drinking or using drugs, you will be held accountable," Governor Cuomo
said. "We will not stand for the preventable tragedies that are caused by
impaired and reckless drivers, and we will continue our aggressive enforcement
to make the roads safe for all who use them."
Acting State Police Superintendent Keith M. Corlett said,
"The results of this year's campaign show that far too many people are
making the wrong decision, and getting behind the wheel while intoxicated or
impaired by drugs. We have no tolerance for this behavior, and our Troopers
will remain vigilant to remove these reckless individuals from our
roadways."
"Memorial Day weekend should be a time to celebrate the
start of the summer season and have fun with friends and family, but far too
often the good times are cut short by a needless tragedy caused by impaired and
irresponsible driving," said Acting Department of Motor Vehicles
Commissioner and Acting Chair of the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee Mark
J.F. Schroeder. "We are grateful to the New York State Police and all of
our other law enforcement agencies for their unyielding efforts to crack down
on impaired and reckless driving to make our highways as safe as possible for
everyone."
During the 54-hour STOP-DWI campaign, which was partially
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 225 people for DWI and investigated
134 personal injury crashes, which resulted in 190 people getting injured and
four fatalities. As part of the enforcement, Troopers also targeted speeding
and aggressive drivers across the state. Below is a sampling of the tickets
that were issued:
Speeding: 3,855
Distracted Driving: 392
Seatbelt violations: 3,327
Move Over Law: 267
Troopers used marked State Police vehicles as well as
Concealed Identity Traffic Enforcement (CITE) vehicles as part of this
crackdown. CITE vehicles allow a Trooper to better observe driving violations
because they blend in with everyday traffic but are unmistakable as emergency
vehicles once the emergency lighting is activated. On Memorial Day weekend in 2018, Troopers
arrested 234 people for impaired driving, and issued 13,318 total tickets.
