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Law enforcement officials noted that, historically, holiday festivities usually gives rise to increased incidents of impaired driving and drinking related crashes, resulting in injuries and deaths on New York roadways. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nationally there was an increase in DWI related highway fatalities in 2015 as compared to 2014, which ended a five-decades-long trend of decreasing fatality rates.
In Putnam County, law enforcement agencies have participated as part of a statewide STOP-DWI Crackdown that began earlier this month and lasts through Monday, Sept. 4. Other holidays that are targeted for extra patrols include St. Patrick’s Day, Memorial Day, the holiday season, Halloween and Thanksgiving.
“Labor Day marks the official end of summer and is an occasion for perhaps the final barbecue gathering or trip to the beach,” Putnam County Sheriff Donald Smith stated. “Unfortunately, the holiday is also an occasion for drunk driving, and so our patrols are going to be out there in force in an effort to deter people from getting behind the wheel after they’ve been drinking,” he said.
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