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State Police Announce “No
Empty Chair” Teen Driver Safety Campaign
Published: April 20, 2026 at
11:15 a.m.
By: Press Release
from New York State Police
New York State Police Announce
“No Empty Chair” Teen Driver Safety Campaign
The New York
State Police will participate in a statewide, multi-agency traffic safety
campaign focused on reducing crashes involving teen drivers.
Each year,
communities across New York State experience tragic losses of high school
students in traffic crashes leading up to graduation.
In
an effort to reduce these tragedies, the Governor’s Traffic
Safety Committee (GTSC) launched this campaign in 2014. The “empty chair”
symbolizes the absence of a high school senior lost to a preventable crash
on graduation day.
The week-long “No
Empty Chair” campaign will run from Monday, April 20, 2026, through Friday,
April 24, 2026.
State Police and
partner law enforcement agencies will conduct targeted enforcement to
address traffic violations prior to and during graduation season.
Throughout the
campaign, Troopers will conduct enforcement details focusing on a different
traffic safety risk each day, while continuing to enforce all other vehicle
and traffic laws. This includes the annual “Operation Safe Stop,” which
promotes school bus safety through education and enforcement efforts.
The daily
enforcement themes are as follows:
- Monday, April 20, 2026 – Underage drinking
and impaired driving
- Tuesday, April 21, 2026 – Seatbelts and child
restraints
- Wednesday, April 22, 2026 – Cell phone use
and texting
- Thursday, April 23, 2026 – Operation Safe
Stop
- Friday, April 24, 2026 – Speeding in school
zones
During the
campaign, Troopers will utilize both marked State Police vehicles and
Concealed Identity Traffic Enforcement (CITE) vehicles. These vehicles
allow Troopers to more effectively identify motorists violating traffic
laws, particularly distracted driving offenses. While they blend in with
everyday traffic, they are clearly identifiable as emergency vehicles once
emergency lighting is activated.
The following are
New York State driver violation point values for select offenses:
- Speeding (MPH over limit not indicated) – 3
points
- Speeding 1–10 MPH over limit – 3 points
- Speeding 11–20 MPH over limit – 4 points
- Speeding 21–30 MPH over limit – 6 points
- Speeding 31–40 MPH over limit – 8 points
- Speeding more than 40 MPH over limit – 11
points
- Improper cell phone use – 5 points
- No seat belt (under age 16) – 3 points
- Child safety seat violation – 3 points
- Failure to stop for a school bus – 8 points
The New York
State Police remind all motorists that safe driving behaviors are critical
to protecting young drivers and ensuring every student arrives safely at
graduation.
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