Governor Hochul Announces More Than 55,000 Tickets Issued During Statewide Impaired Driving Enforcement Mobilization

55,661 Tickets Issued Statewide for Various Vehicle and Traffic Law Violations 

 

1,224 Tickets Issued Statewide for Impaired Driving 

Governor Kathy Hochul announced law enforcement agencies throughout the State issued 55,661 tickets for various vehicle and traffic law violations, including 1,224 tickets for impaired driving, during a statewide mobilization targeting impaired drivers before, during and after St. Patrick’s Day. The enforcement period ran from March 10-17. 

“Public safety is my number one priority, and alongside our partners in law enforcement, we’re cracking down on dangerous and illegal driving that puts our communities at risk,” Governor Hochul said. “I’ll always stand up to protect the people of New York, and I encourage everyone to drive responsibly over holidays, celebrations and beyond.” 

During the campaign, State and local law enforcement officers utilized sobriety checkpoints and increased patrols to deter, identify and arrest impaired drivers. The statewide initiative was funded by the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC). 

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

Violation	Number of Tickets
Impaired Driving	1,224
Distracted Driving	2,351
Move Over	364
Speeding	10,314
Seatbelt	1,428
Other Violations	39,980
Grand Total	55,661

 

The St. Patrick’s Day impaired driving enforcement campaign is one of the several coordinated initiatives sponsored by the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC) to reduce alcohol and other drug-related traffic crashes. These targeted mobilizations provide resources to law enforcement statewide to target underage drinking and increase DWI patrols and sobriety check points during the campaign period. Other impaired driving campaigns occur around Independence Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving and periods of time from August to September and December to January. 

New Yorkers struggling with an addiction, or whose loved ones are struggling, can find help and hope by calling the state’s toll-free, 24-hour, 7-day-a-week HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY (1-877-846-7369) or by texting HOPENY (Short Code 467369). 

Available addiction treatment including crisis/detox, inpatient, community residence, or outpatient care can be found using the NYS OASAS Treatment Availability Dashboard at  FindAddictionTreatment.ny.gov  or through the  NYS OASAS website. 

For more information about GTSC, visit  https://trafficsafety.ny.gov/, or follow the GTSC conversation on Facebook  and  X.