The New York State Police and the Department of Transportation today announced that 112 tickets were issued during last week’s “Operation Hardhat,” a joint initiative that featured State Troopers dressed as highway workers to crackdown on work zone violations and highlight the importance of safe driving through active construction and maintenance work zones. Based on the initial success of the initiative, plans are in place to roll out additional operations in the coming months.
Members of the New York State Police Troop E patrolled numerous highway work zones throughout the Rochester and Hornell regions during the three-day period last week and issued tickets for a host of violations, including speeding, use of a cell phone while driving and failure to obey a flagger.
State Police Superintendent Keith M. Corlett said, “Distracted driving and excessive speeds are unnecessary dangers that both law enforcement officers and highway workers now face while working to keep the traveling public safe. Motorists must understand their responsibility to follow the rules of the road and be aware of their surroundings by eliminating distractions while behind the wheel.”
State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said, “The success of Operation Hard Hat is imperative - it protects our transportation workers and raises awareness to the serious issue of work zone safety. I’d like to thank the dedicated New York State Troopers who took the time last week to patrol our work zones across the Rochester and Hornell regions. This is an important partnership that we need to continue to further promote our shared mission of highway safety.”
Violations issued by the State Police during the three-day detail included:
• 40 Speeding
• 34 Cell Phone Use
• 14 Failure to Wear Seatbelts
• 2 Improper Child Restraint
• 1 Failure to Obey Flagger
• 1 Unlicensed Driver
• 20 Other (Inspection/Registration)
Construction and maintenance crews across the state work alongside fast-moving traffic each day, knowing their lives depend on drivers being alert, patient and cautious. It is critically important that motorists eliminate distractions, pay attention to driving and, on multi-lane highways, move over a travel lane to give highway workers room.
New York’s Move Over Law requires motorists to carefully slow down and safely move over when approaching law enforcement vehicles, fire trucks, ambulances, tow trucks, and construction and maintenance vehicles stopped along the roads.
