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State and local authorities are warning motorists to expect stepped up enforcement of drunken driving laws, including sobriety checkpoints, this Labor Day weekend.
The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement campaign runs through Monday, Sept. 4.
Since the holiday weekend is marked by increased travel and alcohol consumption, law enforcement officials across the country have chosen to jointly participate in the campaign, according to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office.
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and others gathered in Huntington Thursday to also warn motorists about the efforts, as well as remind people of legal ride-sharing programs through companies like like Uber and Lyft.
Those companies have won the blessing of Suffolk County lawmakers, who decided this summer to opt-into the services after the state passed legislation allowing the companies to operate locally.
On the parkways — in addition to other enforcement methods — State Troopers will be watching for distracted or impaired drivers, vehicle occupants who are not properly buckled up and drivers that are violating the Move Over Law to steer clear of law enforcement officers working along roadways, according to Cuomo’s office.
“Troopers and local law enforcement will be highly visible this weekend, and if you drink and drive, you will get pulled over,” Cuomo said in a statement.
Drivers can expect to see sobriety checkpoints during the campaign, along with more troopers on major highways during this detail. Unmarked patrol vehicles will also be on patrol.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drunk driving killed more than 10,000 people in 2015. On average, one person is killed every 51 minutes in an alcohol-impaired driving crash. In 2015, more than 300 people were killed in New York State in crashes involving drugs, alcohol, or both.
According to the Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research, 28 percent of all fatal crashes in New York State in 2015 involved alcohol. A total of 44,501 drivers were arrested on drunk and drug-impaired driving charges that year. Source: New York State
Photo Credit: The Suffolk Times/courtesy
