One Day New York Thruway Enforcement Results in 535 Tickets, 4 DWI Arrests
If you were flying down the Thruway last week thinking no one was watching… surprise.
The New York State Police absolutely were.
On February 26, State Police Troop T conducted targeted traffic enforcement along the New York State Thruway Authority corridor, focusing on unsafe driving behaviors and commercial vehicle safety inspections. The detail comes after a winter filled with crashes involving tractor trailers, commercial vehicles, and passenger cars. While most incidents didn’t cause serious injuries, they did create massive traffic backups and required large-scale emergency responses, especially in western New York.
And the numbers from just one day are huge!
535 Tickets Issued in a Single Day
Troopers handed out 535 tickets on February 26 alone.
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Nearly half of them, 224 tickets or 42 percent, were for speeding. The rest included Move Over Law violations, distracted driving from electronic device use, seatbelt violations, and other traffic infractions.
Commercial Vehicle Inspections Lead to 49 Trucks Pulled Off the Road
Troopers from the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit inspected 148 commercial vehicles. Out of those, 49 were taken out of service immediately for safety-related violations, including overweight and over-height issues.
Sixty commercial vehicle operators were also cited after attempting to avoid the CVE checkpoint... not exactly subtle.
Troop T also made four DWI arrests that day.
A Busy Winter on New York Roads
State Police leadership says the increased enforcement is directly tied to a busy winter season that has brought multiple crashes involving dozens of vehicles.
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Officials emphasized that while no one can control winter weather, drivers can control how they operate behind the wheel. That means adjusting speed for conditions, staying alert, properly maintaining vehicles, and following the law.
Top Reasons Police Officers Issue Tickets to New Yorkers
Gallery Credit: Traci Taylor
Utica Police Officers working Downtown Utica in the 40s and 50’s
Gallery Credit: Jim Rondenelli