Sunday, November 6, 2022

Governor Hochul Announces State Police Arrest 189 People for Impaired Driving Over Halloween Weekend

 DWI Sobriety Checkpoint Sign

The New York State Police Issued More Than 11,500 Tickets During the Campaign, Including More Than 4,000 Speeding Tickets

 Governor Kathy Hochul announced today that the State Police issued 11,601 tickets and arrested 189 people for impaired driving during the special traffic enforcement detail over Halloween weekend. The initiative, which targeted speeding and impaired drivers, began on Friday, October 28, and continued through Tuesday, November 1. The enforcement campaign was funded by the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee. 

"I applaud the State Police and our law enforcement partners for their commitment to keeping dangerous and impaired drivers off the roads this Halloween," Governor Hochul said. "Through enforcement campaigns like this, my administration will continue to crack down on impaired and reckless driving to prevent needless tragedies and make New York roads safer for all."

New York State Police Acting Superintendent Steven A. Nigrelli said, "I applaud the tremendous work put forth by our members and law enforcements partners that have attributed to the success of this enforcement. We know all too well the preventable tragedies caused by impaired, reckless and distracted driving. We want to remind drivers to make responsible choices every time they get behind the wheel. Our Troopers will remain committed and vigilant in keeping impaired and reckless drivers off the roadways every day." 

During the campaign, State Police utilized sobriety checkpoints, added more DWI patrols and ticketed distracted drivers who used handheld electronic devices. Troopers also used both marked State Police vehicles and Concealed Identity Traffic Enforcement 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.

State Troopers arrested 189 people for impaired driving - up 42 percent from the previous year - and investigated 1,006 automobile crashes, including three fatal crashes and 109 personal injury crashes. During the 2021 Halloween weekend enforcement period, which ran one day less than this year's campaign, the State Police issued 7,824 total tickets and arrested 133 people for DWI. 

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

Speeding                       

4,129  

Distracted Driving           

233 

Seatbelt violations         

406  

Move Over Law             

104 


Below are 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  

368  

18  

13  

38  

 

1,063  

B  

North Country  

242  

 

 

18  

 

784  

C  

Southern Tier  

483  

 

12  

28  

10  

1,094  

D  

Central NY  

375  

16  

40  

52  

 

1,226  

E  

Finger Lakes  

376  

11  

19  

67  

11  

1,186  

F  

Upper Hudson Valley  

392  

45  

25  

32  

17  

1,191  

G  

Capital Region  

392  

12  

17  

42  

16  

1,051  

K  

Lower Hudson Valley  

518  

28  

21  

37  

14  

1,134  

L  

Long Island  

232  

27  

28  

32  

 

804  

NYC  

New York City  

79  

 

21  

20  

 

550  

T  

NYS Thruway  

672  

16  

34  

40  

17  

1,518