NEW YORK, NY — 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 starts on Friday, May 25, 2018, and runs through Monday, May 28, 2018. 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, “For many New Yorkers, Memorial Day marks the start of the summer travel season which means additional traffic and increased risks on our roadways. As you plan your holiday weekend, remember to make safety your top priority. Wear your seat belt, remain alert and above all, drive sober. If you do drink, do not get behind the wheel of any vehicle and make arrangements for a safe ride home. Troopers will be vigilant in keeping our roadways safe throughout the holiday 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.
According to the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC), drunk driving killed 272 people and impaired driving injured more than 5,000 others in New York State during 2016. Another 241 people were killed in drug-related crashes.
This initiative is partially funded by the GTSC. The GTSC and the New York State STOP-DWI Foundation remind motorists that their “Have a Plan” mobile app, is available for Apple, Droid and Windows smartphones. The app enables New Yorkers to locate and call a taxi service and program a designated driver list. It also provides information on DWI laws and penalties, and a way to even report a suspected impaired driver.
On Memorial Day weekend in 2017, Troopers arrested 237 people for drinking and driving, issued 12,169 tickets, and investigated 146 personal injury crashes which resulted in 190 people injured. In addition to the New York State Police, numerous counties and agencies throughout the state also participated in last year’s Memorial Day Crackdown.