I have heard rumors that most enforcement agencies, including NYS Police, weren’t stopping speeders and other violators due to COVID-19 and also because some local courts were not handling disposition of vehicle and traffic (VTL) tickets. I have even heard speak of drivers speeding more than usual without fear of being caught. If you are one that doesn’t think enforcement is issuing tickets, read on.

A press release May 27 by the New York State Police showed they issued more than 8,900 tickets during a special traffic enforcement period over Memorial Day Weekend. The enforcement period began on Friday, May 22 and ran through 3 a.m. on Tuesday, May 26. State Police increased patrols and conducted sobriety checkpoints to deter, identify and arrest impaired drivers. The initiative was funded by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC).

During this enforcement period, State Troopers arrested 203 people for DWI, and investigated 457 crashes, which injured 11 people. State Police also responded to two fatal crashes during the weekend.

As part of the enforcement, Troopers also targeted drivers speeding and aggressive drivers across the State, and issued a total of 8,907 tickets for a variety of vehicle and traffic violations.  Below is a sampling of the total tickets that were issued:

Speeding……………………………………………………………3,332

Distracted Driving…………………………………………………171

Seatbelt violations…………………………………………………420

Move Over Law……………………………………………………109

Closer to home, in Troop B, there were 11 arrests for DWI. Speeding resulted in 144 tickets, distracted driving 2, seatbelt violations 31, and two drivers were issued tickets for failure to “move over.” Other violations that resulted in tickets totaled 377 for a grand total in Troop B of 567 tickets.

So, a word to the wise — enforcement is out there doing their job, so don’t believe all the rumors floating around. Obey the rules of the road — you might be glad you did.