State Police will crack down on drivers texting, speeding and drinking over the Thanksgiving weekend.
Troopers will set up six sobriety checkpoints to catch tipsy motorists between Wednesday and Sunday, State Police spokeswoman Melissa McMorris said Monday.
Plainclothes troopers will also target underage drinkers at bars, as well as bar owners who serve minors.
Two details will also nab motorists for speeding and distracted driving, such as texting and making calls behind the wheel.
State Police will use tall, unmarked SUVs as part of their arsenal. The vehicles’ height makes it easier to look down on drivers and catch them texting.
“If a marked car pulls alongside an operator that is driving and texting, they’re more likely to see it’s a police car and put the phone down,” McMorris said. “Because they are concealed and unmarked, it doesn’t usually happen.”
State Police have been busting texting and gabbing drivers in record numbers as part of an initiative by Gov. Cuomo.
The number of summonses given out soared over the summer, from 5,208 tickets last year to 21,580 tickets this year, according to McMorris. More than 16,000 were for drivers chatting on phones, and over 5,500 were for sending texts.
In September, Cuomo also created 91 “Texting Zones” — where drivers can pull over on the New York State Thruway and other state highways to safely use their phones.