By Hank Russell
The New York State Police (NYSP) arrested 42 people and issued 838 tickets to motorists on Long Island during the Memorial Day weekend. The special enforcement period began on May 22 and ran through May 25.
Twenty of those arrests were for DWI and 22 were for other violations, according to the NYSP. Of the tickets issued, 149 were for speeding, 23 for distracted driving, 81 for child restraint and seat belt violations and five for violating the Move Over Law.
Statewide, troopers arrested 211 people for DWI and investigated 693 crashes, with four fatal crashes reported. In addition, they issued a total of 11,104 tickets, down from 245 DWI arrests and 12,062 tickets issued last year.
Of the tickets issued, 3,116 were for speeding, 338 for distracted driving, 1,742 for seatbelt violations and 249 for Move Over Law violations.
During the campaign, which was partially funded by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee, State Police utilized sobriety checkpoints, additional DWI patrols, and ticketed distracted drivers who used handheld electronic devices.