NY Police Issued 290 Tickets Every Hour, Continuously for 8 Days | Carscoops

      Authorities emphasized the issue of impaired driving, yet 98% of the citations issued were not related to it.

      15 hours ago

      by Stephen Rivers

      New York recently conducted an eight-day enforcement operation against hazardous driving, resulting in a large number of tickets being issued.

      Although the crackdown targeted impaired driving, the majority of tickets were given for distracted driving.

      Most violations fell under “other” offenses, with speeding being the second most frequent.

      Although St. Patrick’s Day has passed, New York’s traffic enforcement continues vigorously, this time through a comprehensive crackdown. From March 10 to March 17, the state initiated a special enforcement period that led to an astonishing ticket issuance rate, almost as if they aimed to set a record.

      In total, they issued nearly 56,000 tickets, averaging about 290 tickets each hour over the eight days. Surprisingly, only 2% of these tickets were for driving under the influence.

      During this enforcement phase, law enforcement utilized sobriety checkpoints and increased police patrols to enhance road safety. This approach is reminiscent of other impaired driving campaigns the state conducts during holidays like Independence Day and Halloween. However, St. Patrick’s Day posed a unique challenge, given that drinking is nearly a cultural norm associated with the holiday, attracting heightened scrutiny.

      “Public safety is my number one priority, and in collaboration with our law enforcement partners, we’re taking strong action against dangerous and illegal driving that endangers our communities,” stated Governor Hochul. “I will always advocate for the protection of New Yorkers, and I urge everyone to drive responsibly during holidays, celebrations, and beyond.”

      Looking at the results from this enforcement initiative is intriguing. Out of the 55,661 tickets issued, almost 40,000 were for “other violations,” whatever that encompasses. We can assume it includes offenses like running stop signs and cutting off other drivers on highways. The second-most common violation? Speeding, with 10,314 citations, translating to 53 speeding tickets issued each hour over the eight-day span.

      Interestingly, while the enforcement was primarily aimed at impaired driving, only 1,224 tickets were given for that specific offense. This averages to slightly over six tickets per hour during the enforcement period, with nearly twice as many issued for distracted driving.

      In fact, this could have been labeled the St. Patty’s Day Seat Belt Awareness Campaign, as the number of seatbelt tickets (1,428) surpassed those for impaired driving. Additionally, they issued 364 citations for failing to move over. This emphasizes that drivers can make numerous mistakes even without impairment.