Governor Andrew Cuomo announced today
that State Police and local law enforcement statewide will be increasing
patrols to combat drunk and impaired driving this Memorial Day weekend.
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. The
initiative starts on Friday, May 27 and runs until Monday, May 30.
"There is zero tolerance for
reckless and impaired driving and state police and local law enforcement will
be out in full force to help ensure a safe holiday weekend," Governor
Cuomo said. "I encourage all New Yorkers to stay safe and celebrate
responsibly in order to help keep our roads safe and prevent senseless
tragedies."
Drivers can expect to see sobriety
checkpoints and increased patrols by State Police and local law enforcement
agencies during this holiday weekend.
“On Memorial Day, we take time to honor
the brave men and women who died in service to our county, remembering the
sacrifice they made for all of us,” said State Police Superintendent Joseph A.
D’Amico. “As you plan your holiday weekend, we remind motorists to: Drive
sober, put on your seat belt and put down your smart phone. State Troopers will
be highly visible this weekend and will have zero tolerance for impaired,
reckless and distracted drivers.”
According to the Governor’s Traffic
Safety Committee, drunk driving killed 317 people and injured more than 5,600
others in New York State in 2014. Another 188 people were killed in
drug-related crashes.
“With more vehicles on the road for this
busy travel weekend, there is more room for error. This effort is all about
saving lives,” said Terri Egan, GTSC Acting Chair and Executive Deputy
Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles. “And safety is our number one
priority. Not only are we cracking down on drunk and impaired driving, but
state and local law enforcement will be on the lookout for distracted driving
and other violations of state law. We thank our partners who keep New Yorkers
safe on the roads not just Memorial Day weekend, but each day of the year.”
Troopers will be using both marked State
Police vehicles and Concealed Identity Traffic Enforcement vehicles as part of
this crackdown in order to more easily identify motorists who are violating the
law. Concealed Identity Traffic Enforcement vehicles allow the Trooper to
better observe driving violations. These vehicles blend in with everyday
traffic but are unmistakable as emergency vehicles once their emergency lights
are activated.
On Memorial Day weekend in 2015,
Troopers arrested 187 people for drinking and driving, and issued more than
12,000 tickets. In addition, 33 counties participated in the Memorial Day
crackdown resulting in 141 DWI/DWAI arrests, 16 DWAI-drug only arrests, 147
other arrests, and 1,874 summonses for violations of vehicle and traffic laws.
This initiative is partially funded by
the Governors Traffic Safety Committee.
Source: Press Office, Governor
Andrew M. Cuomo
No comments:
Post a Comment