Move Over, Turkeys, 13K Tickets Issued by NY State Police Over Holiday Weekend

The New York State Police are calling it a "special Thanksgiving Holiday Traffic Enforcement Period," but for the nearly 13,000 (yes, that is thirteen thousand) people who were issued tickets in New York during that period, "special" may not be the word they would use.

The period started on Wednesday, November 24, 2021 and went through Sunday, November 28, 2021.  During those five days and nights troopers say there were 1,041 crashes - including one fatal accident - and 183 people were arrested for DWI.  The total number of tickets issued was 12,975.

The numbers were down slightly from 2020, when the NYSP issued 13,887 total tickets and arrested 155 people for DWI.

Drivers who were aggressive or speeding were specifically targeted.  There were sobriety checkpoints as well and drivers were also ticketed for distracted driving.

The number of tickets issued includes the following:

• Distracted Driving: 440
• Move Over Law: 119
• Speeding: 4,609
• Seatbelt Violations: 1,526

In Central New York (Troop D) the number includes:

• Speeding: 386
• DWI Arrests: 19
• Distracted Driving: 19
• Child Restraint/Seat Beat Violations: 117
• Move Over Law: 9

Central New York had a total of 1,207 tickets, with an average ranking - fifth highest out of the eleven troops statewide.

Funding for the campaign was provided by the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee.