More Than 11,500 Tickets During the Halloween Campaign, Including More Than 4,000 Speeding Tickets

Governor Kathy Hochul announced today that the State Police issued 11,601 tickets and arrested 189 people for impaired driving during the special traffic enforcement detail over Halloween weekend. The initiative, which targeted speeding and impaired drivers, began on Friday, October 28, and continued through Tuesday, November 1. The enforcement campaign was funded by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee.

“I applaud the State Police and our law enforcement partners for their commitment to keeping dangerous and impaired drivers off the roads this Halloween,” Governor Hochul said. “Through enforcement campaigns like this, my administration will continue to crack down on impaired and reckless driving to prevent needless tragedies and make New York roads safer for all.”

During the campaign, State Police utilized sobriety checkpoints, added more DWI patrols and ticketed distracted drivers who used handheld electronic devices. Troopers also used both marked State Police vehicles and Concealed Identity Traffic Enforcement vehicles as part of this crackdown in order to more easily identify motorists who were violating the law. These vehicles blend in with everyday traffic, but are unmistakable as emergency vehicles once the emergency lighting is activated.

State Troopers arrested 189 people for impaired driving – up 42 percent from the previous year – and investigated 1,006 automobile crashes, including three fatal crashes and 109 personal injury crashes. During the 2021 Halloween weekend enforcement period, which ran one day less than this year’s campaign, the State Police issued 7,824 total tickets and arrested 133 people for DWI.