State Police detail results of ‘Speed Week’ campaign

LATHAM, N.Y. » From June 11 to June 17, the New York State Police conducted its “Speed Week,” traffic enforcement campaign. On Monday, State Police unveiled that the initiative saw 24,980 tickets issued by troopers to motorists.

According to State Police, the campaign targeted speeding and other unsafe driving behaviors, including distracted driving and violations of the Move Over Law.

Breaking down the various infractions, troopers issued 13,131 tickets for speeding, 574 for distracted driving, 294 for Move Over law violations, and arrested 186 people for drunk and impaired driving. State Police also responded to 158 personal injury crashes, including three fatal crashes.

By comparison, during the June 2019 Speed Week detail, State Police issued 25,097 total tickets, including 13,055 for speeding.

As part of this enforcement detail, troopers targeted speeding and aggressive drivers across the state.

Troopers watched for impaired and distracted drivers, vehicle occupants who were not properly buckled up, and drivers who violated the Move Over law, which requires motorists to exercise extreme caution when passing emergency vehicles that are stopped in or on the side of the road.

The State Police supplemented regular patrols statewide, including the use of Concealed Identity Traffic Enforcement (CITE) patrol vehicles to better locate drivers talking or texting on handheld devices. These unmarked vehicles blend in with every day traffic but are unmistakable as emergency vehicles once the emergency lighting is activated.

In the Capital Region, troopers issued 966 tickets for speeding, 20 for driving while intoxicated arrests, 48 for distracted driving, 118 for child restraint/seat belt, and 28 for Move Over.

Meanwhile, on the New York State Thruway, Troopers issued 2,286 tickets for speeding, 22 for driving while intoxicated arrests, 48 for distracted driving, 133 for child restraint/seat belt, and 62 for Move Over.