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Wednesday, August 19, 2020

New York announces another campaign targeting impaired drivers

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that New York State Police and law enforcement agencies statewide will be ramping up enforcement of impaired driving from Wednesday, August 19 through Labor Day, Monday, September 7. The STOP-DWI "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" campaign is designed to reduce alcohol and other drug-related traffic crashes.

"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."