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The governor announced that New York State Police is teaming with local law enforcement agencies during Super Bowl weekend to crack down on impaired and reckless drivers. They are expected to hand out thousands of tickets, similar to last year.
The STOP-DWI campaign is expected to include underage drinking enforcement, increased patrols and sobriety checkpoints to “deter, identify, and arrest impaired drivers.”
The emphasis enforcement initiative will run between Saturday, Feb. 1 and Monday, Feb. 3.
During last year’s Super Bowl campaign, State Police arrested 139 alleged impaired drivers and dished out 7,891 tickets.
"The Super Bowl is one of the biggest events of the entire year, and I am encouraging New Yorkers to enjoy it responsibly," Cuomo said. "It is simple: If you are drinking, do not get behind the wheel. New York has zero-tolerance for drunk driving, and our police will be aggressively enforcing the law this weekend to keep New Yorkers safe.”
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 10,511 people were killed in alcohol-impaired crashes in 2018. NHTSA reports that 30 people die each day in alcohol-related vehicle crashes.
According to Cuomo's office, if you are hosting guests during the Super Bowl, please designate a responsible driver in advance to help your guests get home safely:
- Ask all of your guests to designate their sober drivers in advance, or help them arrange ride-sharing with sober drivers. If you don't drink, offer to drive guests home;
- Serve plenty of food and non-alcoholic beverages at the party;
- Stop serving alcohol at the end of the third quarter—this is a good time to serve coffee and dessert;
- Sign up online for a ridesharing service or keep the phone numbers of local cab companies on hand and take the keys away from any guests who are thinking of driving after drinking;
- Remember, if you serve a guest alcohol and he or she gets in a crash that night, you could be held liable;
- If an underage person drinks and drives, the parent or guardian can be legally liable for any damage, injury or death caused by the underage driver.
"State Troopers will be highly visible throughout the weekend, cracking down on impaired drivers and other reckless driving behaviors,” State Police Superintendent Keith Corlett said. “If your celebrations include alcohol, make a game plan now for a safe ride home. Don't jeopardize your life or the lives of others by driving impaired."
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