New York law enforcement officers issued more than 14,000 tickets during this year’s Operation Work Brake April 22-26.
The majority of the tickets were issued for work-zone speeding followed by speeding, distracted driving, and failure to move over. More than 2,673 tickets were issued on the New York State Thruway, a more than 300 increase from last year.
The campaign is a partnership between the New York State Thruway Authority and the state police. The goal is to raise awareness of the dangers of driving recklessly in highway construction work zones.
“Highways and work zones are challenging and treacherous environments to work in, and we all have a responsibility to do our part to make them safer for those who work in and around them,” Keith M. Corlett, acting state police superintendent, said. “We have zero tolerance for speeding and distracted driving in these zones, and we will continue to ticket those who violate the law.”
In 2017, there were 132 road workers killed in work zones nationwide including three in New York, according to the Federal Highway Administration. A New York Department of Transportation worker was killed by a tractor-trailer in a work zone on Route 17 earlier this year.