State: Super Bowl weekend crackdown on impaired driving

State Police will increase enforcement against reckless and drunken driving this Super Bowl weekend, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Friday.

The STOP-DWI campaign, financed by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee, includes enforcement of underage drinking and increased sobriety checkpoints and patrols, Cuomo said.

“The Super Bowl is one of the most popular events of the year, and we encourage New Yorkers to enjoy it responsibly,” the governor said in a statement. “If you will be drinking, don’t get behind the wheel. New York has zero tolerance for impaired driving, and State Police will be out in force this weekend to ensure everyone has a safe ride home.”

Last Super Bowl weekend the initiative led to the arrests of 110 people for impaired driving, and the issuing of more than 4,000 tickets, officials said.

According to data obtained from the state Department of Motor Vehicles, from 2014 to 2016 there were an average of 57 crashes between midnight and 1 a.m. after the Super Bowl. That’s a significant increase compared to all other Mondays during those years, AAA Northeast said Friday.

“Road safety is seriously compromised due to so many vehicles hitting the road after the Super Bowl,” AAA Northeast spokesman Robert Sinclair, Jr. said in a statement. “AAA urges drivers to be much more cautious after the game and have a designated driver if they plan to drink.”