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Dubbed "Operation Hardhat," the statewide traffic enforcement detail -- which began on Tuesday, July 14 -- targets motorists who drive recklessly through work zones.
The operation is a joint initiative between the New York State Police, Department of Transportation, and Thruway Authority, to crack down on work zone violations and highlight the importance of safe driving when encountering construction, maintenance, and emergency operations along state highways.
During the operation, state troopers will patrol active highway work zones throughout the summer at locations along the Adirondack Northway, the Thruway and other highways where maintenance and construction activities are underway.
To help identify offending motorists, troopers will be dressed as highway maintenance workers.
"New York's highway workers and first responders put their personal safety on the line every day to help ensure our roads and bridges remain safe and in good repair," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. "As New Yorkers, we have a responsibility to keep these essential workers out of harm's way - and that means slowing down, moving over, and using common sense."
During last year's "Operation Hardhat" enforcement state police issued 1,048 tickets issued across the state overall including:
- 493-speed violations
- 92 cell phone violations
- 94 seatbelt
- 72 move over violations
- 8 failures to obey a traffic control device
- 2 failures to obey a flagged
- 2 DWI
- 283 other violations.
They are also reminding drivers that fines are doubled for speeding in a work zone. Convictions of two or more speeding violations in a work zone could result in the suspension of an individual's driver's license.
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