ENP STAFF REPORTS
news@eastniagarapost.com

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The New York State Police will have additional troopers on the roads this holiday season in an effort to crackdown on drunk driving.

The New York State Police will again participate in the national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign, running through Jan. 1. Drivers can expect to see sobriety checkpoints along with more troopers on major highways during the campaign. Unmarked State Police patrol vehicles will also be on the roads.

Superintendent Joseph A. D’Amico said, “Safety comes first for the New York State Police for our troopers and the drivers and passengers we serve on New York State’s roadways. We want everyone to have a happy holiday - but we also want you to have a safe one. Impaired drivers cause needless deaths and injuries. Have a plan and you could save a life – maybe even your own.”

In addition to the DWI checkpoints and patrols, Troopers will be watching for distracted or impaired drivers, vehicle occupants who are not properly buckled up and drivers violating the “Move Over Law,” which requires motorists to exercise extreme caution when passing emergency vehicles that are stopped in or on the side of the road.

During last year’s campaign, State Police issued more than 38,000 tickets. More than 630 people were charged with DWIs, more than 11,000 drivers were ticketed for speeding and 1,500 drivers were caught for distracted driving.

During the 2012 holiday period, 1,698 people nationwide were killed on the road, with almost a third of the fatalities related to drunk-driving. On Christmas Day that year, 26 people were killed by drunk drivers.

To keep our roads safer this holiday season, the New York State Police and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration offer these tips:

• Plan a safe way home before the celebrating begins;
• Before drinking, designate a sober driver;
• If you’re impaired, use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation;
• Use your community’s sober ride program;
• If you happen to see a drunk driver on the road, don’t hesitate to contact local law enforcement;
• If you know someone who is about to drive or ride while impaired, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to get to their destination safely.

Also, as part of the enhanced enforcement holiday initiative, the New York State Police today will participate in a “Safety Without Borders” campaign in partnership with bordering U.S. and Canadian law enforcement agencies.

This is the third “Safety Without Borders” program conducted during 2014 – previous campaigns took place in April and June, during which participating agencies issued nearly 3,000 tickets. There were no fatal accident investigations that took place during the programs, showing that this partnership is successful in decreasing fatalities throughout the multi-state and Canadian border region. New York has participated in the program since 1994.

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