The Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said as people gather at bars and pubs today and following days, it sometimes can lead to deadly consequences if plans aren’t made to get home safely.

The NHTSA said during the 2020 St. Patrick’s Day period, more than a third (36%) of crash fatalities involved a drunk driver. From 2016 to 2020, 287 lives were lost in drunk-driving crashes during the St. Patrick’s Day period.

Sheriff Jim Quattrone said, “Please remember, Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving. If you plan to drink this St. Patrick’s Day, plan ahead for a safe way home.”
He said even walking while intoxicated can be deadly. In 2020, 30% of the pedestrians killed in traffic crashes had blood alcohol concentrations at or above .08. Pedestrians who have been drinking should also arrange for a sober ride or for a sober friend to walk them home.

The NHTSA encourages everyone to take the following safety precautions, including:
– It’s never okay to drink and drive. Designate a sober driver or a call a ride service to get home safely.
– Never let a friend drive drunk.
– If you’re the designated driver, make sure you don’t drink so you can keep that promise of safety to yourself and your passengers.
– Don’t ride in a vehicle with a driver who has been drinking.
– And if you see a drunk driver on the road, contact your local law enforcement to report the driver.

U.S. Route 20 (Wikipedia)

State Police will have stepped up speed enforcement on Route 20 today.

The one-day corridor project, which is targeted at reducing speed related crashes on non-interstate highways, was created by the Iowa State Patrol. New York State Police is among eight other states participating in the campaign.

New York State Police Acting Superintendent Steven Nigrelli said in a release that, “Speeding contributes to over one-third of all motor vehicle fatalities across the nation.”

Drivers can expect to see increased patrols by State Police and local law enforcement agencies during the morning and evening drive times.

Troopers will be using both marked State Police vehicles and Concealed Identity Traffic Enforcement (CITE) vehicles as part of this crackdown in order to more easily identify motorists who are violating the law.

U.S. Highway 20 spans 3,365 miles coast to coast. New York State has jurisdiction over 372 miles of the highway. This is the second time New York State Police is participating in the campaign.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 11,258 individuals were killed in speed-related accidents across the country in 2020 and speeding contributed to 29% of all motor vehicle fatalities.

Speed Awareness week, which takes place August 14 through 21, is a high-visibility enforcement campaign supported by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee to stop speeding and prevent avoidable crashes caused by unsafe speed.

According to preliminary data from the Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research at the University at Albany’s Rockefeller College, unsafe speed was a contributing factor in 353 fatal crashes in 2021, compared to 317 fatal crashes in 2020 — an 11 percent increase. The 353 fatal crashes last year resulted in 389 deaths including drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians.

During last year’s Speed Awareness Week, law enforcement throughout the state issued 23,087 tickets for speeding and 32,170 tickets for other vehicle and traffic law violations, such as impaired and distracted driving.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), speed was a contributing factor in 29 percent of all traffic fatalities nationally in 2020. Additionally, NHTSA says speeding causes:
– Greater potential for loss of vehicle control
– Reduced effectiveness of occupant protection equipment
– Increased stopping distance after the driver perceives a danger
– Increased degree of crash severity leading to more severe injuries
– and Increased fuel consumption/cost

For more information about traffic safety in New York State, please visit the GTSC website at https://trafficsafety.ny.gov/.

The event held in conjunction with Jamestown Police and Fire Departments as well as Ardent Solutions, will take place from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Taylor Training Grounds on 240 Harrison Street in Jamestown.

Certified technicians will inspect car seats to determine if it’s the right one for your child and if it’s fitted and installed correctly.

The event is free and open to the public. Appointments are recommended, but not mandatory. To make an appointment, call (585) 808-7036.

The event is funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration with a grant from the NYS Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee.

ALBANY – Governor Andrew Cuomo Friday announced that the State Police will partner with local law enf

The STOP-DWI campaign will include underage drinking enforcement, along with increased patrols and sobriety checkpoints to deter, identify, and arrest impaired drivers. The enforcement initiative, which runs from Saturday, February 1 through Monday, February 3, is funded by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee.

“The Super Bowl is one of the biggest events of the entire year, and I am encouraging New Yorkers to enjoy it responsibly,” Governor Cuomo said. “It is simple: If you are drinking, do not get behind the wheel. New York has zero tolerance for drunk driving, and our police will be aggressively enforcing the law this weekend to keep New Yorkers safe.”

Too many lives are still being lost because of crashes caused by impaired drivers. The STOP-DWI efforts across New York have led to significant reductions in the number of drinking and driving fatalities. During the 2019 Super Bowl campaign, State Police arrested 139 people for impaired driving and issued 7,891 tickets.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 10,511 people were killed in alcohol-impaired crashes in 2018. Drivers should remember that they are putting not only their lives, but the lives of others, in jeopardy when they choose to drink and drive. NHTSA reports that 30 people die each day in alcohol-related vehicle crashes. That’s one person every 48 minutes.

If you are hosting guests during the Super Bowl, please designate a responsible driver in advance to help your guests get home safely.

• Ask all of your guests to designate their sober drivers in advance, or help them arrange ridesharing with sober drivers. If you don’t drink, offer to drive guests home.
• Serve plenty of food and non-alcoholic beverages at the party.
• Stop serving alcohol at the end of the third quarter—this is a good time to serve coffee and dessert.
• Sign up online for a ridesharing service or keep the phone numbers of local cab companies on hand and take the keys away from any guests who are thinking of driving after drinking.
• The Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee and the New York State STOP-DWI Foundation “Have a Plan” mobile app, is available for Apple, Droid and Windows smartphones. The app enables New Yorkers to locate and call a taxi service and program a designated driver list. It also provides information on DWI laws and penalties, and an option to report a suspected impaired driver.
• Remember, if you serve a guest alcohol and he or she gets in a crash that night, you could be held liable.
• If an underage person drinks and drives, the parent or guardian can be legally liable for any damage, injury or death caused by the underage driver.

“Whether it’s preschool, grade school, high school or college, a new school year means increased pedestrian and vehicular traffic in neighborhoods and around schools throughout the county,” Gerace said via a media release from the Sheriff’s Office. “The changing season also brings in increasingly shorter days, less daylight and reduced visibility.”

Gerace reminds commuters, parents, students, pedestrians and bicyclists alike to:

• Stop for any school bus that has its lights and “stop arm” activated to load and unload children. Drivers must stop in both directions, unless separated from the bus by a median.
• Be alert when around school zones or buses
• Build extra time into your schedule to accommodate the increased congestion and delay surrounding school start and end times.
• Familiarize yourself, and your children, with laws and safety tips related to school buses, school zones, crosswalks and signals.
• Become familiar with specific rules that pertain to young drivers if you are, or have, a teenage driver in your household.
• Pay attention to your surroundings, on streets or sidewalks; do not assume others see you or that you have the right-of-way.

Additional back-to-school safety tips from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) include:

• School Bus
  • It is illegal to pass a stopped school bus that is loading or unloading children.
  • Buses are the safest mode of transportation for children; however, kids need to be aware of the bus “danger zone”: blind spots around the bus where the driver may not be able to see them. Children should maintain a distance of 10 feet away from the front, sides and rear of the bus. (In average kid-speak, that’s five giant steps away from any side of the bus.)
  • Children should wait until the bus stops completely and the driver signals that it is ok to board; if crossing the street is necessary, wait for the driver to indicate it is safe to cross.
  • Check out Tips to Increase Your Child’s School Bus Safety.
• Motorist
  • Obey all signs, signals and crossing guards/police officers in school zones.
  • Slow down and be alert for children, walking or biking; they may be difficult to see and may appear suddenly and unexpectedly.
  • In low light and bad weather, pay extra attention around bus stops and school zones.
  • Do not block crosswalks or intersections; look ahead to determine whether you can get completely across the intersection to avoid “getting stuck” in it or on a crosswalk.
• Teen Motorist
  • To increase safety, NHTSA promotes the “5 to Drive” rules: NO cell phones, NO extra passengers, NO speeding, NO alcohol and ALWAYS buckle up.
  • Leave extra distance between you and the car in front of you, especially when in school traffic; anticipate frequent and unpredictable stop-and-go traffic; and look ahead for pedestrians and to avoid blocking intersections and crosswalks.
  • Do not be distracted by electronic devices or passengers; be focused on the roadway, what’s ahead and what’s around you.
  • Parents: Talk to your kids about traffic safety, even before they reach driving age, to get them thinking about it; set ground rules for your inexperienced driver and the consequences of breaking them.
• On Foot
  • Children should walk with a responsible adult and in a group.
  • Make sure you walk on the sidewalk; if there is not one, walk facing traffic.
  • Pay attention to the road and where you are going; do not play with, push or shove others.
  • Wear brightly-colored clothing to be more visible to drivers.
  • Cross at crosswalks, street corners or intersections; obey all signals and traffic rules when crossing. Look left-right-left for vehicles and bicycles and ensure the roadway is clear and safe before you step into the roadway.
• By Bicycle
  • Use the proper gear. Wear a helmet that fits properly and buckle it on every ride; ensure bicycles are appropriately sized to match your child’s size.
  • Teach your child a bicycle is a vehicle, not a toy.
  • Wear brightly-colored and reflective clothing to increase visibility.
  • Utilize the sidewalk whenever possible; if you ride on the roadway, ride in the same direction as traffic.
  • When riding on the sidewalk, you are expected to follow pedestrian traffic laws; when on the roadway, you are expected to follow motor vehicle traffic laws.
  • Practice reduces the likelihood of falls or crashes. In a safe place, help your child build and strengthen basic skills, such as starting and stopping, looking over their shoulders and signaling to vehicles.

“Everyone has a responsibility to maintain safety on the county’s roadways and around school zones,” the media release concluded.

The Environmental Protection Agency said it completed a review that will affect vehicles for model years 2022-2025, but it did not provide details on new standards, which it said would be forthcoming.

The EPA, in partnership with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, will work to come up with new standards.

Automakers applauded Monday’s decision, arguing the current requirements would have cost the industry billions of dollars and raised vehicle prices due to the cost of developing the necessary technology.

Environmentalists, meanwhile, warned the proposed rollbacks will make U.S. cars more expensive to fill up.

NY Governor Andrew Cuomo

Some states, including California and New York, are also critical of the move. Gov. Cuomo said on Monday that the Trump administration is turning its back on our environment and putting our economy, our children and our planet at risk.

“The proposal to roll back air pollution and fuel economy standards is another shameless giveaway to the dying fossil fuel industry at the expense of our economy and the health of the American people,” Cuomo said. “This plan would upend auto industry regulation in this country, decrease consumer satisfaction with worse gas mileage, jeopardize the rapidly growing clean energy economy and degrade the quality of our air.”

 Cuomo added that if the federal government moves forward with this backward plan, New York will work with California and other states to fight back.

“New York is proud to be leading the way in the fight to reduce emissions, including through our bold commitment to electric vehicles and our goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030. If the federal government moves forward with this backward plan, we will work with California and other states to preserve our stringent emission standards – ensuring we continue to protect the health of our residents while attracting the clean energy jobs of tomorrow.”

Chautauqua County police agencies are participating in the New York State STOP-DWI Enforcement Crackdown, a state-wide effort to crack down on impaired driving. The crackdown began December 18 and continues through January 3.

According to the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office, local law enforcement agencies are vigorously enforcing laws related to driving while impaired, with special emphasis on driving while impaired by either alcohol or drugs.

The most recent crackdown, during the Thanksgiving weekend, resulted in more than 50 vehicle stops, arrests, and summonses.

Chautauqua County Sheriff Joe Gerace said in a recent media release that removing intoxicated drivers from Chautauqua County roadways is one of his office’s top priorities, adding that of you choose to drink, don’t drive. He said that drunk drivers not only put themselves in danger, they threaten everyone who shares the highway with them.

Funding for the crackdown is provided by the New York State STOP- DWI Foundation through a grant from the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee via the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

All police agencies in Chautauqua County will participate in the New York State STOP-DWI Enforcement Crackdown, a state-wide effort to crackdown on impaired driving. The crackdown will take place during the Thanksgiving weekend, starting today and continuing through Sunday, November 29.

The Chautauqua County Sheriff, local police agencies, and New York State Police say they will vigorously enforce laws related to driving while impaired, with special emphasis on driving impaired by either alcohol or drugs.

The most recent crackdown, during the Halloween weekend, resulted in more than 50 vehicle stops, arrests, and summonses.

Funding for the initiative is provided by the New York State STOP- DWI Foundation through a grant from the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee via the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

According to the governors office, The New York State Police, together with the important work of local law enforcement, will be vigilant in screening for impaired drivers.

The Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee 2014 annual report found that while the number of alcohol-related crash injuries were down in New York State by nearly 800 over a five-year period starting in 2009, 364 people were killed in such crashes in 2013 and about 30 percent of New York’s crash fatalities are alcohol-related.

Additionally, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 10,076 people were killed nationwide in crashes involving a driver with a blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 percent or higher 2013.