ALBANY – New York State Officials say they are cracking down on impaired and distracted driving over the Thanksgiving Holiday.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Tuesday that the New York State Police and local law enforcement agencies will participate in a special traffic enforcement initiative to crack down on unsafe driving behaviors.
“Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel times of the year and our focus is helping ensure everyone gets where they need to go safely so they can spend quality time with family and loved ones,” Governor Cuomo said. “State Troopers and local law enforcement will be highly visible in the coming days, cracking down on impaired and reckless drivers – and I urge drivers to follow the law and make safety your top priority while out on the roads.”
The State Police will supplement regular patrols statewide, including fixed sobriety checkpoints, underage drinking enforcement and the “Operation Hang Up” initiative, which targets distracted drivers by utilizing Concealed Identity Traffic Enforcement patrol vehicles to better locate drivers talking or texting on hand held devices.
These unmarked vehicles blend in with every day traffic but are unmistakable as emergency vehicles once the emergency lighting is activated.
Very high traffic volumes typically occur during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. It is also a time when alcohol consumption is widespread.
During the 2018 Thanksgiving holiday period, troopers arrested 215 drivers for DWI, issued 5,834 speeding tickets, 774 tickets for distracted driving, and 218 tickets for move over law violations.
The special traffic enforcement period runs from Wednesday, November 27 through Sunday, December 1, 2019.
Leave a Reply