State Police Cracking Down On Drunk Driving During Super Bowl Weekend

The New York State Police are warning motorists that if you drink and drive during Super Bowl weekend there is an increased chance you will arrested.

State Police announced Friday that the special STOP-DWI enforcement campaign will include increased patrols and sobriety checkpoints to deter, identify, and arrest impaired drivers. Part of the enforcement will include underage drinking enforcement. This extended enforcement period began Friday and will run through Monday, February 8th.

Although the numbers of drunk driving incidents and accidents has been on the decline, there are still too many who violate this law and unfortunately, too many who continue to lose their lives as a result of drunk driving. This enforcement period is designed to be preventative of any tragedy Super Bowl Weekend may bring. During the 2020 enforcement period State Police arrested 122 people for impaired driving and issued 8,372 total tickets.

State Police will also be using Concealed Identity Traffic Enforcement (CITE) vehicles as part of the operation. These vehicles are designed to identify motorists who are using handheld devices while driving. Distracted driving will also be heavily enforced this weekend.

State Police asks anyone who may be hosting or attending a Super Bowl party to follow these easy tips.

• 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 an excellent time to serve coffee and dessert.
• Sign up online for a ride-sharing service or keep the phone numbers of local cab companies on hand and take the keys away from any guests thinking of driving after drinking.
• The Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee and the New York State STOP-DWI Foundation “Have a Plan” mobile app is available for Apple, Droid, and Windows smartphones. The app enables New Yorkers to locate and call a taxi service and program a designated driver list. It also provides information on DWI laws and penalties and a way to report a suspected impaired driver.
• 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.

You do not want to bare the responsibility of allowing someone to drink and drive and then consequently have them kill someone else. State Police are reminding people an impaired driving conviction carries a maximum fine of $10,000, up to 7 years in prison, and license revocation. The slogan is simple, but effective. Drive sober or get pulled over.