Authorities teaming up for annual Memorial Day Weekend drunk, impaired and reckless driving crackdown

Over 42-million people are expected to travel for the holiday weekend, according to the AAA.

With that being said, the New York State Police is gearing and teaming up with local authorities to initiate their annual Memorial Day Weekend drunk, impaired and reckless driving crackdown campaign.

This special enforcement period began Friday and will continue through Tuesday, May 30. “Troopers will be highly visible this weekend and will have zero tolerance for impaired and reckless drivers,” said acting New York State Police Superintendent Steven A. Nigrelli.

In addition to the Troopers that you will see, there will be units out you may not see right away until they turn their lights on. W

ith the use of Concealed Identity Traffic Enforcement Vehicles, Troopers and law enforcement will have ability to blend in better with traffic. Don’t be fooled, an unmarked police cruiser is unmistakable once the emergency lights are activated.

Researchers at the Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research (ITSMR) at the University at Albany report that 237 people were killed and 4,394 were injured in drunk driving-related crashes in 2022. Another 237 people were killed in drug-related crashes.

During Memorial Day Weekend last-year, Troopers arrested 213 people for driving while impaired, issued 13,688 total tickets, and investigated 808 crashes, which resulted in four fatalities. 

Image via the New York State Police.