Monroe County Participates in Statewide STOP-DWI St. Patrick’s Day “High Visibility Engagement Campaign”

Monroe County police agencies, New York State Police and their STOP-DWI team will participate in special efforts to bring awareness to the dangers of impaired driving through the weekend.

The statewide STOP-DWI Crackdown efforts will begin Friday, March 15 and run through Sunday, March 17, 2024. St. Patrick’s Day Weekend is a notoriously deadly period for impaired driving due to the number of celebrations and drivers on the road. New York State Police, County Sheriff, municipal law enforcement agencies and STOP-DWI Programs across the state will take part in special engagement efforts to reduce the number of alcohol-related injuries and deaths.

“While we are so fortunate that there were no Monroe County traffic fatalities during this holiday weekend in 2023 compared to multiple in years before, we saw a handful of crashes from alcohol and/or drugs. The victims of these crashes who suffer physically and emotionally will never be the same and it was all the result of a choice to drive after too much alcohol or drugs or a combination,” said Lindsay Tomidy, STOP-DWI Coordinator. “If people become impaired while they celebrate, we want to remind them to plan ahead for a sober ride. Our wonderful restaurants and bars will no doubt see an increase of patronage, especially with the good weather. While we support the celebrations, we simply don’t support the choice of those patrons to get behind the wheel. We can all work together in having a safe and enjoyable weekend!”

The STOP-DWI St. Patrick’s Day High Visibility Engagement Campaign is one of many statewide initiatives promoted by STOP-DWI NY and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee. The Statewide STOP-DWI High Visibility Engagement Campaign also targets Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day/End of Summer, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Holiday Season and Super Bowl.

Highly visible, highly publicized efforts like the STOP-DWI High Visibility Engagement Campaign aim to further reduce the incidence of drunk and impaired driving.

You can help to make a difference by having a sober plan before any consumption! Impaired driving is completely preventable. All it takes is a little planning. For more resources, you can reach the Monroe County STOP-DWI team at http://monroecounty.gov/safety-stopdwi.