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Police in St. Lawrence County setting up sobriety checkpoints for DWI through Labor Day

Posted 8/19/14

Drivers can expect to see sobriety checkpoints as New York State Police, the St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office and other local law enforcement agencies will participate in a special enforcement …

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Police in St. Lawrence County setting up sobriety checkpoints for DWI through Labor Day

Posted

Drivers can expect to see sobriety checkpoints as New York State Police, the St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office and other local law enforcement agencies will participate in a special enforcement effort to crack down on impaired driving.

The crackdown has begun and will run through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 1.

Research shows that high-visibility enforcement can reduce impaired driving fatalities by as much as 20 percent. Sobriety checkpoints play a key part in raising awareness about the problem, according to St. Lawrence County STOP-DWI.

Labor Day weekend traditionally results in heavy traffic volumes throughout the state. “Unfortunately, this increased flow of traffic brings with it, increased accidents, serious injuries and fatalities,” says the announcement from state police.

Law enforcement officials across the country have chosen to jointly participate in the campaign, since the holiday weekend is marked by increased travel and alcohol consumption.

The goal is to maximize DWI enforcement efforts to limit the number of people who would be needlessly injured or killed by an intoxicated or drug impaired driver.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drunk driving kills more than 10,000 people in the U.S. every year. On average in 2012, one person was killed every 51 minutes in an alcohol-impaired driving crash.

More troopers will be on major highways during this detail. Unmarked patrol vehicles will also be on patrol.

In addition to the DWI checkpoints and patrols, troopers will also be watching for distracted or impaired drivers, vehicle occupants who are not properly buckled up, and drivers that are violating the “Move Over Law,” according to the announcement from state police.

Over Labor Day Weekend 2013, troopers made 180 DWI arrests and issued more than 9,000 traffic tickets.