Thousands Of Tickets Issued On LI During Holiday Enforcement Period

LONG ISLAND, NY — Thousands of traffic tickets were issued on Long Island during a DWI crackdown over the holidays.

New York took part in a nationwide DWI crackdown beginning Dec. 14 and ending Jan. 1. During that time, troopers across the state arrested 453 people for DWI and investigated 4,417 crashes, which resulted in 528 people injured and eight deaths.

"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," Gov. Kathy 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."

Long Island had the third-highest number of tickets issued at 2,931. The Finger Lakes region had the most at 3,302. Police arrested 49 people on Long Island for DWI and issued 845 speeding tickets. They also issued 134 tickets for distracted driving and 75 for seatbelt violations.

Over the nearly three-week period, state police used sobriety checkpoints and DWI patrols to crack down on drunken driving. They used both marked and unmarked cars to crackdown on drivers breaking the law.

"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," said Acting Police Superintendent Steven A. Nigrelli. "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."