New York State Police issued 21,148 tickets during its 2017 “Speed Week” campaign, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.
The campaign, which ran Aug. 2-8, is aimed at preventing unsafe driving behaviors.
Troopers supplemented patrol cars with unmarked law-enforcement vehicles. Speeding and aggressive drivers were targeted along with impaired drivers and those who violated the state’s “Move Over Law,” requiring extreme caution when passing emergency vehicles on the side of the road. Passengers not using their seatbelts were also targeted.
During the seven-day period, 9,205 tickets were issued for speeding, 348 were issued for distracted driving, and 234 people were arrested for driving while impaired. Troopers were also called to the scene of 268 accidents, which resulted in 393 injuries and five deaths.
“Reckless driving puts everyone on the road at risk and with the Speed Week campaign, we make it clear that it will not be tolerated in New York,” Cuomo said. “State Police and local law enforcement continue to be diligent in their enforcement efforts to put the brakes on drivers who endanger others and disregard the law.”
The campaign is funded by the governor’s Traffic Safety Committee.
In 2016, 21,636 total tickets were issued, 10,539 for speeding.