The Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office, the Lakewood-Busti Police Department and the Town of Ellicott Police Department are running a joint High Visibility Engagement Campaign today through Monday.

This safety initiative is designed to reduce alcohol and drug-related traffic crashes. It is sponsored by STOP-DWI with funding from the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee.

Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement, “Be sure to kick off the weekend by planning ahead for a safe ride home and avoid the costly and possibly deadly consequences of drinking and driving.”

Police ask folks who witness a vehicle operating in an erratic manner to call 911 and the pass the information onto the Dispatcher.

Both the New York State Police and local law enforcement agencies statewide will be cracking down on impaired driving during Super Bowl weekend from Saturday, February 6 until midnight, February 8.

The STOP-DWI campaign will include underage drinking enforcement, along with increased patrols and sobriety checkpoints to deter, identify, and arrest impaired drivers.

If you are hosting, designate a responsible driver in advance to help your guests get home safely.

• Ask all of your guests to designate their sober drivers ahead of time, or help them arrange ride-sharing 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 ride sharing service and 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.
• 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.

Super Bowl 50 will feature the AFC Champion Denver Broncos against the NFC Champion Carolina. It will be played at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Opening kick off is set for 6:30 p.m. The game is being broadcast on CBS.