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Troopers issued 16,690 tickets statewide during the enforcement campaign, up from 9,057 tickets last year. The detail ran from Saturday, Oct. 26, and lasted through Nov. 1.
“Our top priority is the safety of everyone on our roads – our goal is not to spoil anyone’s fun on Halloween,” Terri Egan, the Executive Commissioner of the DMV said before the detail began. The detail included an increased number of sobriety checkpoints and additional DWI patrols. There were also stings targeting stores selling alcohol to minors.
During the campaign, troopers arrested 266 people for impaired driving and investigated 1,778 crashes, which resulted in 251 injuries and three fatalities.
Troopers also handed out 5,729 tickets for speeding and 475 for seatbelt violations. Motorists were cited for violating the “Move Over Law” and 448 tickets were written for distracted driving.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Halloween is one of the more deadly nights due to an increased number of impaired drivers on the road.
From 2012 to 2016, there were 168 drunk driving fatalities reported. Of those fatalities, 14 percent involved drunk drivers who killed children and those accompanying children trick-or-treating.
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