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New York cracks down on drunk driving during Super Bowl week

A pint glass, a gavel, police tape, and car keys.
Officials recommend using the “Have a Plan” app, which helps New Yorkers arrange a safe ride home.

Drivers heading home after Super Bowl celebrations can expect increased police patrols and sobriety checkpoints as part of a statewide crackdown on impaired driving.

Governor Kathy Hochul announced that law enforcement agencies will participate in a national enforcement initiative from Feb. 3-9, funded by the Governor’s Highway Safety Committee.

The effort aims to prevent alcohol- and drug-related crashes, enforce underage drinking laws, and ensure road safety during one of the biggest party weekends of the year.

“Football fans across New York will be gathering to watch the game, and I am directing law enforcement to take extra measures to protect the public from reckless and impaired drivers,” Hochul said. “We do not tolerate anyone endangering lives on our roads.”

Last year’s Super Bowl enforcement effort resulted in 262 DWI arrests and nearly 8,400 tickets issued for various traffic violations.

Officials also recommend using the “Have a Plan” app, which helps New Yorkers arrange a safe ride home.

Authorities remind hosts that serving alcohol to guests comes with responsibility. If a guest drives drunk and causes an accident, the host could be held liable.

Bob Beck, a veteran media professional, currently serves as a part-time editor/host at WAER Public Radio and an adjunct professor at Syracuse University. Beck retired as News Director at Wyoming Public Radio in 2022 after 34 years. During his time, Beck won 5 regional Edward R. Murrow awards and 5 Public Media Journalists Association awards for reporting. He also won 11 PMJA awards for the news and public affairs program Open Spaces. He was awarded the Wyoming School Bell award for education reporting and was part of two Emmy Award winning television productions. You can find him on X under the name @butterbob.


Kat is WAER's anchor/producer, delivering local news content and hosting NPR's "All Things Considered." She excels in creating engaging long-form content, managing promotions, and leading audio editing projects. Kat is also instrumental in converting daily news content into digital formats for distribution on WAER.org.