Police cracking down on drivers statewide thru Labor Day

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEXSTAR) — New York State Police and local law enforcement are increasing patrols and setting up sobriety checkpoints through Labor Day. The national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” enforcement campaign targeting drunk and drugged driving continues until Monday, September 1.

It’s an effort to prevent accidents, injuries, and deaths that increase during a busy Labor Day travel season full of reckless, intoxicated, or drug-impaired drivers, particularly over the last weekend in August. Beyond impaired drivers, they’ll also be on the lookout for unsafe driving behaviors like speeding or being distracted.

“Whether you’re heading to a cookout, the beach, or the fair, we’re focused on getting you there safely,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a press release about the increased patrols. And State Police Superintendent Steven James said the goal is preventing senseless tragedies, with law enforcement and responders working year-round to reduce drunk driving crashes.

Troopers and other law enforcement agencies will be using both standard, marked patrol cars and concealed identity traffic enforcement vehicles. CITE vehicles are unmarked, looking like regular traffic but equipped with emergency lights.

Last Labor Day weekend, from August 30 through September 2, 2024, officers statewide issued 20,714 tickets for traffic violations. That includes 4,374 tickets for speeding and 966 for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. State troopers alone issued 10,240 tickets and arrested 232 people for driving while intoxicated last year.

The Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee is partially funding the initiative. The GTSC and the New York State STOP-DWI Foundation offer the “Have a Plan” mobile app to prevent crashes and help drivers avoid making some bad decisions. The free app for Windows, Apple, or Android can find and call taxi or rideshare services based on the phone’s GPS, make a list of designated drivers chosen by the user, and teach DWI laws and penalties. It also lets people report a driver who they suspect is impaired.

State officials also reminded drivers about New York’s Move Over Law, in place since 2010. It makes drivers slow down when there’s a vehicle stopped on the side of the road and change lines toward the other side, if it’s safe to do so. Since 2023, the law has applied to all stopped vehicles, not just those for police, emergency, or highway workers. The GTSC reports that from 2016 to 2020, 37 people died in New York while outside of disabled vehicles.

It takes about one hour for the body to process one alcoholic drink. DWI is a crime in New York defined as having a blood alcohol content of .08 or higher, while aggravated DWI is a BAC of .18 or higher. BAC depends on factors like body weight, gender, the amount of food eaten and when, and the amount of time spent drinking. The state also has laws for driving while ability is impaired by alcohol—a BAC between .05 and .07—and for impaired driving due to drugs.

For a first DWI offense, penalties can include a fine between $500 and $1,000, a mandatory driver responsibility assessment of $750 over three years, up to a year of incarceration, and a revoked driver’s license for at least six months. If the first offense is for aggravated DWI, fines increase to a range of $1,000 to $2,500, with mandatory license revocation for at least a year. And under Leandra’s Law, enacted in 2009, any DWI conviction requires the installation of an ignition interlock device on any vehicle, requiring the driver to provide a breath sample to start.

In terms of distracted driving, it’s against New York law to use a handheld mobile phone or other portable electronic device while driving. That includes talking on the phone, sending and reading texts or emails, looking at images, and playing games. The only exception is calling emergency services like 911. Fines and surcharges for a first offense range from $50 to $293. A conviction for using a cell phone or texting while driving adds five points to your driving record.