Drive Sober Or Get Pulled Over Slated Through Labor Day

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ALBANY — The New York State Police and law enforcement agencies statewide will be ramping up enforcement of impaired driving through Labor Day.

According to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, 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 and recklessly putting yourself and others in danger,” Cuomo said. “Be smart and have a plan to get to your destination safely. One bad decision can have lifelong consequences–it’s just not worth it.”

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.”

The STOP-DWI “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign is part of ongoing efforts supported by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee to stop impaired driving and improve traffic safety. Together with the New York State STOP-DWI program, the GTSC supports enforcement efforts, law enforcement training and public information and education campaigns throughout the year. Most recently, the GTSC developed a new smartphone application, allowing law enforcement officials to contact a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) more efficiently.