Labor Day Weekend Traffic Brings Safety Reminders For All Drivers

Summer is quickly fading. Labor Day Weekend is almost here. It's the last hurrah of the summer season. But warm weather will hopefully stick around at least through September.

Many of us will be taking full advantage of the Labor Day Weekend, and that it is a fun, safe weekend for you and your family. Labor Day weekend also means there is heavy traffic throughout the state. And that means increased traffic accidents, injuries, and, unfortunately, fatalities.

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The New York State Police and local law enforcement agencies will be doing their best to help keep people safe on our roadways. As part of the national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign, New York State Police and local enforcement agencies are patrolling the roadways through the Empire State during this campaign to prevent drugged and drunk driving.

The campaign began on August 13th, 2025, and will continue through Labor Day, Monday, September 1, 2025, as local and State Police patrol the roadways to remove impaired and reckless drivers from our highways.

Labor Day weekend traditionally results in heavy traffic throughout the state. This increased flow of traffic also brings with it an increase in accidents, serious injuries, and fatalities.

Year-round, our members work to reduce drunk driving crashes and promote traffic safety. Our goal during this campaign is to ensure we can take intoxicated and drug-impaired drivers off our roads and prevent senseless tragedies. I thank the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee for their shared commitment to making New York’s roadways safer. - New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James

During this campaign, there will be sobriety checkpoints and increased patrols using both marked State Police vehicles and Concealed Identity Traffic Enforcement vehicles to more easily identify motorists who are violating the law.

These vehicles help troopers observe driving violations better as they blend in with everyday traffic. Once emergency lighting is activated, it will be obvious that they are law enforcement vehicles.

New Yorkers can download the “Have a Plan” mobile app, which is available for Apple, Android, and Windows smartphones. This app can be used to locate and call a taxi service and program a designated driver list. It also provides information on DWI laws and penalties. The app also has a feature in which a person can report a suspected impaired driver.

According to the New York State Police, over the 2024 Labor Day weekend enforcement 10,240 total tickets were issued, and 232 individuals were arrested for DWI.

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