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State Police to Crack Down on Impaired Driving This
St. Patrick’s Day Weekend
Published: March 15, 2024 at
01:30 p.m.
By: Press Release from New York State Police
New York State Police to crack down on impaired
driving this St. Patrick’s Day weekend
The New York
State Police will increase patrols to combat drunk, impaired, and reckless
driving as St. Patrick’s Day celebrations get underway starting this
weekend. This special traffic enforcement detail, which is funded by the
Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC), begins on Friday, March 15,
2024, and runs through Sunday, March 17, 2024.
Drivers can
expect to encounter additional DWI patrols and a number
of sobriety checkpoints during the enforcement period. State Police
will also be ticketing districted drivers who are using handheld electronic
devices and will also conduct underage drinking and unlawful sales to
minors details during the campaign.
New York State
Police Acting Superintendent Steven G. James said, “The New
York State Police urges everyone to have a plan this St. Patrick’s Day
weekend. Make safety your number one priority, arrange for a sober
ride home, and don’t be a risk to yourself or others out on the roads. The
State Police and our law enforcement partners remain vigilant in keeping
our roadways safe and will have zero tolerance for impaired and reckless
drivers.”
During last
year’s St. Patrick’s Day impaired driving enforcement, Troopers arrested
220 people for DWI, issued 246 tickets for distracted driving and 11,648
tickets in total.
Drunk driving
kills more than 10,000 people each year in our country. One person every 39
minutes dies of an alcohol related crash and every one of those deaths is
preventable.
Choosing to drive
drunk can ruin or end your life or someone else’s. This St. Patrick’s Day,
if you drink and drive, you face jail time, the loss of your license, a
higher insurance rate, and dozens of unanticipated expenses. An impaired
driving charge carries a maximum fine of $10,000.
The New York
State Police and the GTSC ask you to commit to following these easy
steps, so you can enjoy a safe holiday without jeopardizing lives on the
road.
- Before the
festivities begin, plan a way to safely get home at the end of the
night.
- Before you start drinking, designate a sober driver and leave your car keys at home.
- If you’re impaired, use a taxi or ridesharing
service, call a sober friend or family member, or use public
transportation so you are sure to get home safely.
- If available, use your community’s sober ride
program
- Walking impaired can be just as dangerous as
drunk driving. Designate a sober friend to walk you home.
- If you see a drunk driver on the road, call
local law enforcement. You could save a life.
The GTSC and the
New York State STOP-DWI Foundation’s “Have a Plan” mobile app, is
available for Apple, Droid and Windows
smartphones. The app enables New Yorkers to locate and call a taxi service
and program a designated driver list. It also provides information on DWI
laws and penalties, and a way to report a suspected impaired driver.
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