NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- State and local police officers are ramping up patrols this Halloween weekend as part of a crackdown aimed at curbing drunk driving, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday.
Nationwide, 145 people were killed in impaired driving accidents that happened on Halloween nights between 2014 and 2018, Cuomo said in a release, citing data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Officers will be monitoring New York state roads closely this year as part of a "special enforcement campaign" running from Friday, Oct. 30 to Sunday, Nov. 1, he said.
"While we are encouraging everyone to celebrate Halloween safely and responsibly during this pandemic, we must continue to protect against the needless accidents and preventable tragedies from impaired driving," Cuomo said in a statement.
"The message is simple: impaired drivers will be caught and will be held accountable, and I urge anyone who is not fit to get behind the wheel to make other arrangements during this holiday," he added.
The campaign will include sobriety checkpoints, the release noted. Officers will also be keeping an eye out for drivers who are on their phones.
Two hundred and eighty people were arrested for impaired driving during last year's Halloween campaign, according to the release. New York state troopers also issued 21,467 tickets, the release said.
