Governor Hochul Announces State Police Issue More than 32,900 Tickets During the National DWI Crackdown That Ran Through New Year's Day

 

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the New York State Police issued 32,934 tickets and arrested 453 people for impaired driving during the National DWI Crackdown which started on Wednesday, December 14, 2022, and continued through New Year's Day on Sunday, January 1, 2023. Troopers arrested 453 people for DWI and investigated 4,417 accidents, which resulted in 528 people being injured and eight fatalities. 

"I thank the State Police and local law enforcement for their continued efforts to get dangerous drivers off the roads and protect all New Yorkers," Governor Hochul said.  "We will not stand for the preventable tragedies that are caused by impaired and reckless drivers, and we will continue our aggressive enforcement measures to make the roads safe for all who use them." 

New York State Police Acting Superintendent Steven A. Nigrelli said, "One of the mission priorities of the New York State Police is to improve highway safety by focusing on reducing drunk and impaired driving crashes. Through our recent enforcement efforts, as well the work Troopers do on a daily basis, we have made our roadways safer for the public. The New York State Police urges motorists to make safety their top priority as well to help reduce these crashes. Our message is simple: Don't drink and drive. By being proactive, we can reduce the number of motor vehicle accidents caused by drunk and impaired driving." 

During the campaign, State Police utilized sobriety checkpoints, additional DWI patrols, and ticketed distracted drivers who used handheld electronic devices. Troopers also used both marked State Police vehicles and Concealed Identity Traffic Enforcement (CITE) vehicles as part of this crackdown in order to more easily identify motorists who were violating the law. These vehicles blend in with everyday traffic but are unmistakable as emergency vehicles once the emergency lighting is activated. 

As part of the enforcement, Troopers also targeted speeding and aggressive drivers across the state. Below is a sampling of the total tickets that were issued. 

• Speeding                             11,305 
• Distracted Driving                912 
• Seatbelt violations               916 
• Move Over Law                   316 

The results of the campaign broken down by Troop: 

Troop	Region	Speed	DWI Arrests   (# of persons)	Distracted Driving	Child Restraint/   Seat Belt	Move Over	Total   Tickets   (includes other violations)
A	Western NY	843	36	78	67	13	2,597
B	North Country	681	22	21	42	28	2,204
C	Southern Tier	898	23	55	36	29	2,369
D	Central NY	753	41	62	124	11	2,945
E	Finger Lakes	917	33	60	135	19	3,302
F	Upper Hudson Valley	1,271	87	140	131	27	3,138
G	Capital Region	1,008	39	94	38	48	2,690
K	Lower Hudson Valley	1,911	76	108	85	35	4,122
L	Long Island	845	49	134	75	3	2,931
NYC	New York City	262	11	53	56	2	1,831
T	NYS Thruway	1,916	36	107	127	101	4,805