Troopers Launch Campaign:

Be Sober Or Get Pulled Over

Beginning today through New Year’s Day, Troop C and barracks around the state are participating in the national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign, State Police headquarters announced today.

Drivers can expect to see sobriety checkpoints and more patrols, using marked and unmarked vehicles.  Also, underage drinking enforcement details will be deployed.

Troopers will also be watching for distracted drivers, passengers who are not properly buckled up, and drivers violating the “Move Over Law,” requiring them to to exercise extreme caution  passing emergency vehicles stopped in or on the side of the road.

During the campaign, Troopers will be using both marked State Police vehicles and Concealed Identity Traffic Enforcement (CITE) vehicles as part of the operation. The CITE vehicles allow Troopers to more easily identify motorists who are using handheld devices while driving. CITE vehicles allow the Trooper to better observe distracted driving violations. These vehicles blend in with every day traffic, but are unmistakable as emergency vehicles once the emergency lighting is activated.

During last year’s crackdown, State Police issued 33,153 tickets. Of those tickets more than 11,319 were for speeding, 1,107 were for distracted driving and 421 for the “Move Over Law.” There were also 571 people arrested for DWI and 15 people killed in crashes.