SYRACUSE, N.Y. (CNY Central) — Law enforcement will have increased patrols this Memorial Day Weekend to combat impaired, drunk and reckless driving.
It’s one of the busiest travel days throughout the year. The New York State Police said drivers can expect to see sobriety checkpoints and extra patrol vehicles out on roadways to ensure driver safety.
Senior Counsel at Tully Rinckey Cory Missell is encouraging you to have a plan to get home if you’ve been out drinking. That includes planning a designated driver, using a rideshare service like Uber or Lyft, or staying at a friend’s house for the night.
“There are a number of unforeseen consequences from receiving a DWI charge in New York State,” warned Missell. “It goes well beyond the criminal charges. In fact, it could affect your driver’s license. It could affect your ability to travel internationally. Before you drink and drive, find someone who is responsible who has not consumed alcohol. Let them take the wheel.”
Law enforcement typically increases patrols on holiday weekends where high consumption of alcohol is expected. In addition to Memorial Day, that includes the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, St. Paddy’s Day and others.
The enforcement period for Memorial Day Weekend begins on Friday and ends on May 25, which is Memorial Day.
In 2025, the state police arrested 245 people for driving while impaired, issued 12,062 total tickets and investigated 774 crashes. Three of those crashes were fatal.
