Drivers Remind to Avoid Drunk Driving During Memorial Day in NYC – Telemundo New York (47)

NEW YORK — On Thursday, the New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT), the New York City Police Department (NYPD), the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC ) and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) announced an annual initiative to end speeding and drunk driving before Memorial Day weekend.

Agency leaders also strongly advocated for the passage of state legislation that would renew and expand the city’s red light camera program; The law authorizing the use of these cameras expires at the end of this year.

The city is also advocating for state legislation that would increase accountability for the rising incidence of drugged driving. Albany’s current legislative session is scheduled to end June 6.

“Alcohol, drugs and driving never mix, and we have a shared responsibility to keep each other safe as we celebrate the unofficial start of summer next weekend,” said New York Department of Transportation Commissioner, Ydanis Rodríguez. “We are proud to work with our partners at Vision Zero to reduce speeding and driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. As our colleagues in Albany enter the home stretch of a very productive legislative session, we look forward to working with them to address pending and critical public safety legislation governing our life-saving red light cameras and combating driving. under the influence of drugs.”

The NYPD will continue to keep New York City’s highways and surface roads safe by stepping up law enforcement over the Memorial Day weekend. In addition to actively enforcing laws against speeding and reckless or impaired driving, police will continue the city’s highly successful efforts to remove unlicensed operators from our streets while identifying and seizing uninsured vehicles or unregistered and those with fraudulent license plates.

“NYPD officers will be highly visible on New York City roadways this long Memorial Day weekend to deter unsafe driving and, when necessary, take appropriate enforcement action,” said NYPD Commissioner Edward A. Cabán. “Motorists can expect targeted enforcement of many violations, including drink-driving, speeding and reckless driving. Officers will also continue to look for unlicensed drivers, unregistered or uninsured vehicles, and vehicles with illegal license plates. “Everything we do is geared toward reinforcing our core mission of public safety, and we ask that motorists contribute by making smart, responsible decisions.”

According to the recent NYC DOT Red Light Camera Report, the red light camera program has delivered significant safety results over its 30 years of operation. In addition to a 73 percent decrease in red light violations, at intersections with red light cameras injury-causing T-collisions decreased by 65 percent and rear-end collisions decreased by 49 percent.

“Adding traffic light cameras at more intersections is not just a good idea – it’s a responsible and proactive step toward creating safer streets for everyone. “This safety measure must be accompanied by efforts to deter motorists from driving under the influence and hold them accountable,” said Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine. “It is imperative that we pass laws that are properly enforced against reckless drivers who endanger their neighbors and our families.”

The program has also changed driver behavior and deterred repeat offenders; In 2023, 94 percent of vehicles caught running a red light received no more than one or two violations. Less than 0.5 percent of vehicles received five or more violations.

Despite these safety advances, the red light camera program is too limited to serve as a broader deterrent. Current state law limits these cameras to operating at no more than 150 intersections at any given time, or 1 percent of the city’s more than 13,700 signalized intersections. Without state legislative action, that law will expire at the end of 2024.

“We know that holiday weekends pose the biggest threat when it comes to people driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, and we know that increased enforcement can make a difference,” said Deputy Commissioner Ira Goldapper of the Bureau of TLC Uniformed Services. “If you plan to go out, you don’t even need to drive. TLC regulates 180,000 taxi drivers and contract drivers. Each of them has been drug tested. They all complete Vision Zero safety courses and mandatory refresher training. Let them drive while you have fun.”

With these restrictions, New York City has been unable to use this life-saving tool to address the recent increase in red light use. In 2023, 29 people died in red-light-running accidents (the worst annual total ever recorded and more than double the average annual total of such deaths in the previous decade), all at intersections without red-light cameras.

To counter these trends, the New York City Department of Transportation has been working with legislators in Albany to pass legislation sponsored by State Senator Andrew Gounardes (S2812) and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (A5259), which would reauthorize the existing program through Dec. 1, 2030 and would expand the number of locations to 1,325, or about 10 percent of signalized intersections.

The city has joined a growing coalition of law enforcement officials and advocates who support legislation sponsored by State Senator John Mannion and Assemblyman William Magnarelli (S3135/A174) to make it possible for all drivers who drive under the influence of drugs are responsible for their dangerous and reckless behavior.

Currently, people who drive under the influence of drugs can only be prosecuted if officers can prove exactly what drug they were taking and that it was on an outdated public health list. With this bill, New York would join most states in allowing officers to rely on the observations of highly trained drug recognition experts to charge drunk drivers and help deter this dangerous behavior.

“Drunk driving is one of the most pressing issues affecting our roads,” said MADD Regional Executive Director (NY/NJ/PA) Paige Carbone. “It is an issue that deserves our utmost attention, because behind every statistic lies a story of shattered lives and irreparable losses.”