"There is no excuse for driving impaired - it's
reckless and puts not only yourself but everyone else on the road in danger,"
Governor Cuomo said. "We have zero tolerance for this irresponsible
behavior and we're stepping up patrols to send a clear message: If you drink
and drive, you will be caught and you will be held accountable."
New York's efforts to reduce impaired driving through
targeted education and enforcement initiatives, like this crackdown, are
working. Fatal crashes involving an impaired driver have decreased over 19
percent from 2010 to 2019, according to preliminary data from the Institute for
Traffic Safety Management and Research at the University at Albany's
Rockefeller College.
Throughout this enforcement blitz, law enforcement will be
stepping up patrols, and the NYS Thruway Authority and State Department of
Transportation will have Variable Message Signs alerting motorists to the
consequences of impaired driving to help deter this dangerous behavior. During
the 2019 enforcement campaign, law enforcement throughout the state issued
4,995 tickets for impaired driving and 170,378 tickets for other vehicle and
traffic law violations.
New York State Police Superintendent Keith M. Corlett said,
"Through education and enforcement, the New York State Police work to keep
drunk drivers off the road and remind people of the dangers of drinking and
driving. Impaired drivers cause needless deaths and injuries. Together, we can keep New York State's roads
among the safest in the nation."
