Memorial Day weekend is among the busiest travel holidays of the year and area police will be out in force, cracking down on impaired and reckless drivers on the roadways and highways. New York State Police will increase patrols through Tuesday to combat drunk, impaired, and reckless driving throughout the weekend. Rockland Sheriff Lou Falco says while they’ll be handling the state roadways, his department and local police will have their eyes on local streets and locales…
New York State Police Acting Superintendent Steven Nigrelli encourages people celebrating the holiday to make safety a top priority and arrange for safe rides home, wear seat belts, remain alert and drive sober. Drivers can expect to see sobriety checkpoints and increased patrols using both marked police cars and Concealed Identity Traffic Enforcement vehicles. The Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research in Albany says 237 people were killed and 4,394 were injured in drunk driving related crashes last year. Another 237 people were killed in drug-related crashes.