Police in New York State Will Crackdown This Holiday With More Tickets, Arrests

New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced today, November 23, 2021, that state and local police will be targeting certain drivers this Thanksgiving weekend. They will be looking for unsafe, distracted, and impaired drivers today through Sunday, November 28. Gov. Hochul also announced that lane closures for construction projects on New York State highways will be temporarily halted today at 6 am through Monday, Nov. 29 at 6 am.

Gov. Hochul said that keeping New Yorkers safe during this busy travel weekend is imperative,

"As we look ahead to celebrating Thanksgiving with family and friends, many of us will be spending time on the road and it's critical we do everything we can to ensure that holiday travel can be done safely. Getting behind the wheel while impaired by drugs or alcohol does nothing but put lives at risk. This year, make the responsible choice and help keep your fellow New Yorkers safe by having a plan to secure a safe and sober ride home."

Statewide, police will be utilizing the following to apprehend impaired and distracted drivers:

- Drug Recognition Experts
- Sobriety checkpoints
- Underage drinking enforcement
- Speed enforcement
- Concealed Identity Traffic Enforcement patrols

During the same holiday weekend last year, over 8,000 tickets were issued,

Troopers arrested 155 drivers for DWI, issued 4,871 speeding tickets and 228 tickets for distracted driving. Statewide, law enforcement arrested 901 people for DWI, issued 7,406 tickets for speeding and 627 tickets for distracted driving.

More Than 200 People Arrested During New York State's Columbus Weekend Crackdown

During the last holiday crackdown, New York State Police and local authorities issued 38,255 tickets for various infractions. Police around the state arrested 207 people for impaired driving. The crackdown took place over Columbus Day weekend. State and local police were targeting impaired and speeding drivers in the sting, which ran for six days, from Thursday, October 7 through Tuesday, October 12, 2021.

New York's first female Governor, Kathy Hochul said the crackdown was all about safety,

"The tragedies caused by speeding and impaired driving are completely avoidable if we all commit to making safety our top priority when we are behind the wheel. We will continue to have zero tolerance for impaired drivers who put others in danger."

During the sting checkpoints, marked police vehicles and unmarked patrol cars were used. Police targeted aggressive, impaired, distracted, and speeding drivers.

Here are some of the infractions and the number of tickets issued:

Speeding 7,389
Distracted Driving 410
Seatbelt violations 707
Move Over Law 143

Data provided by the Governor's Office

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