Putnam County Sheriff Donald B. Smith and Town of Carmel Police Department Chief Michael Cazzari report that their departments will be jointly conducting sobriety checkpoints along area roadways during the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. The announcement of the planned checkpoints is aimed at deterring intoxicated or impaired driving and is part of a statewide STOP–DWI Crackdown effort.

“The Memorial Day holiday marks the official start of summer and there will be countless backyard barbecues and trips to the beach to kick off the season, but all too often that can mean that some people will drink too much alcohol some place and then decide to drive a car,” said Chief Cazzari. “The officers and deputies will be out there to deter people from making the bad choice to drive drunk.”

Historically, an increase in outdoor activities in the summer months usually gives rise to increased incidents of impaired driving and drinking related crashes, resulting in injuries and deaths on New York roadways. In an effort to deter DWI offenses this summer, the New York State Police, County Sheriffs, and local law enforcement agencies across the state will be out in force this weekend, on the lookout for impaired drivers.

While STOP–DWI efforts across New York have led to significant reductions in the numbers of alcohol and drug-related fatalities, too many lives are still being lost because of crashes caused by drunk or impaired drivers. Highly visible and highly publicized efforts like the STOP–DWI Crackdown Campaign aim to further reduce the incidence of drunk and impaired driving.

Sheriff Smith said that sheriff’s deputies and officers from the Carmel Police Department will coordinate to set up sobriety checkpoints at several different location and screen motorists for signs of impairment. “We are letting people know this in advance as a reminder that they should drink responsibly or make appropriate plans now to have a designated driver or use a taxi,” said the Sheriff.

The STOP–DWI Memorial Day Crackdown is one of many statewide enforcement initiatives promoted by the New York State STOP–DWI Association and funded by local STOP–DWI programs, the STOP–DWIFoundation, and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee. This multi-agency partnership has allowed local programs to significantly increase their DWI enforcement and public awareness efforts. The Statewide STOP–DWI Crackdown Campaign also targets St. Patrick’s Day, Independence Day, Labor Day Weekend, Halloween and the national holiday season in December.