Seat Belt, Sobriety Crackdowns In The Hudson Valley: Memorial Day 2022

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — With holiday travel expected to near pre-pandemic volume, Hudson Valley roads will be packed with people going long and short distances.

This Memorial Day weekend, according to AAA, the overwhelming majority of Americans on the move — 35 million people — will travel on the nation's highways, as is traditionally the case.

SEE: Memorial Day 2022: Best, Worst Times To Hit The Road In New York

Which makes the weekend the perfect time, officials say, to run both the statewide STOP-DWI High Visibility Engagement campaign and the Click It or Ticket campaign.

This year's STOP-DWI campaign will start Friday and end Tuesday. Since Memorial Day is one of the busiest travel holidays of the year and marks the official start of summer, New York State police, county sheriffs, municipal law enforcement agencies and local STOP-DWI Programs will collaborate across the state and will be out in force in a coordinated effort to reduce the number of impaired driving-related injuries and deaths.

The “Buckle Up New York, Click it or Ticket” campaign began Monday and runs through June 5. It focuses on ensuring that all motorists and passengers are wearing their seat belts and that children are properly in safety seats.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2,549 Americans died in crashes in 2017 because they were not wearing their seatbelts.

“Seat belts save lives,”said Daniel F. DeCrescenzo Jr., President of MTA Bridges and Tunnels, which is running seat belt checkpoints. “This is an important reminder for our customers as we head into this busy holiday weekend and the warmer weather.It is a collaborative effort to keep everyone safe.”