ALBANY — The New York State Police will conduct a Thanksgiving holiday traffic enforcement period from Wednesday through Sunday in an effort to prevent deaths and injuries caused by impaired, distracted, aggressive or reckless driving.

During this enforcement period, troopers say they will be highly visible, and drivers can expect a number of sobriety checkpoints and additional driving-while-intoxocated patrols.

The State Police will supplement regular patrols statewide, including fixed sobriety checkpoints, an underage drinker enforcement and the “Operation Hang Up” initiative, which targets distracted drivers by using Concealed Identity Traffic Enforcement patrol vehicles to better locate drivers talking or texting on handheld devices. These unmarked vehicles blend in with everyday traffic but are unmistakable as emergency vehicles once the emergency lighting is activated.

The highest traffic volumes of the year typically occur during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. It is also a time when alcohol consumption is widespread. During the 2017 Thanksgiving holiday period, the State Police says troopers arrested 242 drivers for DWI, issued 5,797 speeding tickets, 663 tickets for distracted driving, and 234 tickets for the move over law. A total of 15,360 tickets were issued statewide during the period.

This special traffic enforcement detail is funded by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee.

The GTSC and New York State STOP-DWI Foundation’s “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.