New York State Police Ramping Up ‘Drive Sober Or Get Pulled Over’

It is never a good idea to drink and drive. But this week, New York State Police are going to be actively looking for it with "Drive Sober Or Get Pulled Over" campaign.

You've heard of it before and you've seen the signs all over I-90. It's the campaign by the New York State Police designed to end, or at least reduce alcohol and other drug-related traffic crashes. Yet, even though we've heard it over and over again, in 2019 law enforcement throughout the state issued 4,995 tickets for impaired driving and 170,378 tickets for other vehicle and traffic law violations.

This year, there's even an app to help get you safely to where you want to be.  It's called the "Have A Plan" mobile app and it's meant to be a resource for people to "locate and call a taxi service, program a designated-driver list, educate yourself on Blood Alcohol Content levels as well as information on DWI laws and penalties or even report a suspected impaired driver."  And yes, it is available for Apple and Android smart phones.

But what if you think you're a good driver after you've had a few?  Aside from the fact that it's dangerous for everyone on the road (and people who are anywhere near the road), it can be very expensive to have an alcohol related offense.

Fines for alcohol offenses range from $300 to $10,000. In addition to fines, court surcharges are applied to each offense and range from $260 for conviction of DWAI, a violation, to $520 for a Felony offense. Separate from fines and surcharges, a $750.00 Driver Responsibility Assessment is levied by the Department of Motor Vehicles, in addition to typical fees for re-issuing a license.  That doesn't include the conditional license that you'll have to apply for and the insurance that you will now have to purchase from a "risk pool" if you choose to continue driving.

The "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" campaign starts in New York today (8/19) and goes through (9/7).