Wednesday, January 4, 2023

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

 DWI Sobriety Checkpoint Sign

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)  

 

Western NY  

843  

36  

78  

67  

13  

2,597  

 

North Country  

681  

22  

21  

42  

28  

 2,204  

 

Southern Tier  

898  

23  

55  

36  

29  

 2,369  

 

Central NY  

753  

41  

62  

124  

11  

2,945  

 

Finger Lakes  

917  

33  

60  

135  

19  

3,302  

 

Upper Hudson Valley  

1,271  

87  

140  

131  

27  

3,138  

 

Capital Region  

1,008  

39  

94  

38  

48  

2,690  

 

Lower Hudson Valley  

1,911  

76  

108  

85  

35  

4,122  

 

Long Island  

845  

49  

134  

75  

 

 2,931  

NYC  

New York City  

262  

11  

53  

56  

 

1,831  

 

NYS Thruway  

1,916  

36  

107  

127  

101  

4,805