Nearly 50,000 Tickets Issued During New York Enforcement Mobilization Week

The week of February 3, 2025, as I was traveling to the Corning area and back, I noticed a lot of activity from the New York State Police on Route 17/I-86 but didn't give it much thought.

There were several incidences of motorists pulled over for what I assumed was for speeding. I get an evil smirk on my face as I pass those motorists. Is that a bad thing?

Anyway, there was a reason for the increased patrols. New York State upped patrols during the week leading up to Big Game Sunday. It's one of several times throughout each year when increased patrols and sobriety checkpoints are set up for impaired driving campaigns.

Read More: 2024 New York State Hunter Safety Results

Dates in addition to the Big Game week, include St. Patrick’s Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving weeks, and periods of time from August to September and December to January, according to the New York State Governor Kathy Hochul's website.

Governor Hochul announced today (February 14, 2025) that from February 3rd through the 9th, 2025 law enforcement agencies throughout the state issued 49,948 tickets for various vehicle and traffic law violations.

New York has zero tolerance for impaired or reckless drivers who put themselves and others sharing the road in danger.  I thank our law enforcement officers for their vigilance in removing these individuals from our roadways. - New York State Governor Kathy Hochul

1,021 tickets were issued for impaired driving, 1914 for distracted driving, 227 for violating the Move Over Law, 8536 for speeding, 1083 for seatbelt violations, and 37,167 for other violations during the 7-day campaign according to the report from Governor Hochul.

These yearly enforcement campaigns are sponsored by the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee to reduce alcohol and other drug-related traffic crashes.

Speaking of the Move Over Law, is it just me, or am I noticing a disturbing amount of motorists ignoring this law? Sure, there may be times when moving over is not an option, but I have noticed several times where there has been no excuse.

The law in New York State now states that when possible and safe to do so, motorists must move over for any vehicle that has pulled over and is stopped on the side of the road. Previously, it was just for emergency vehicles and certain other service vehicles.

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