NY State Cops Cracking Down During 'Speed Week'

Speeding is listed as a contributing factor in nearly one third of all fatal crashes in New York State. So, New York State Police are again cracking down on speeding and aggressive drivers across the state. The current initiative is this summer's Speed Week.

This Speed Week campaign began Wednesday and runs through June 13.

Troopers will be using both marked State Police vehicles and Concealed Identity Traffic Enforcement vehicles as part of the operation. Those blend in with every day traffic but are unmistakable as emergency vehicles once the emergency lighting is activated.

“The goal of this campaign, and enforcement year round, is to reduce speed related crashes and improve safe travel for drivers and passengers on New York’s roads," New York State Police Superintendent George P. Beach II said in the Speed Week announcement. "Obeying the speed limit and driving defensively will reduce the number of fatal accidents and increase safety for everyone on the highway.”

More than 42,000 people die as the result of traffic crashes each year on our nation's highways and hundreds of thousands are seriously injured. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for people ages 3 to 33.

Speeding by all vehicle types, as well as other traffic violations, will be heavily enforced throughout the week in addition to normal year-round enforcement. Troopers will also be watching for other traffic violations, including distracted or impaired drivers, vehicle occupants who are not properly buckled up, and drivers that are violating New York’s Move Over law.

Last year, during the June 2016 Speed Week campaign, State Police issued more than 21,000 traffic tickets. More than 10,000 of the tickets were for speeding, more than 600 were for distracted driving, and more than 200 for violations of the Move Over law.

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