NYS Police To Crack Down On Impaired, Reckless Driving For Holidays

NEW YORK — The New York State Police will be cracking down on impaired and/or reckless drivers now through Jan. 1 as part of the holiday season's "Drive High Get a DUI" national campaign, it announced.

Drivers can expect to see sobriety checkpoints and more state troopers on roadways during the campaign.

Troopers will not only be watching for impaired drivers, either. Police will be on the look out for distracted drivers, vehicle occupants who are not properly buckled up, and drivers violating the “Move Over Law,” which requires motorists to use extreme caution when passing emergency vehicles that are stopped in or on the side of the road. State police will also conduct underage drinker enforcement details statewide.

Troopers will be using both marked state police vehicles and Concealed Identity Traffic Enforcement (CITE) cruisers as part of the operation. The CITE vehicles allow troopers to more easily identify drivers who are using handheld devices while driving. CITE cars allow troopers to better observe distracted driving violations. These vehicles blend in with every day traffic, but are unmistakable as emergency vehicles once the emergency lighting is activated.

During last year’s crackdown, New York State Police charged 522 people with DWI and issued 35,016 tickets, including 12,285 tickets for speeding, 840 for distracted driving, and 289 for the “Move Over Law.” State police also investigated 14 fatal crashes.

This campaign is sponsored by the New York State STOP-DWI Foundation and funded by the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee. Motorists were reminded that the “Have a Plan” mobile app is available for Apple, Android and Windows smartphones. The app enables New Yorkers to find and call a taxi or rideshare service and program a designated driver list. It also provides information on DWI laws and penalties and provides a way to report a suspected impaired driver.