The Fourth of July holiday weekend is in full swing, and law enforcement officials across the state are reminding drivers that drunk driving crackdowns remain in effect.
You can expect to see an increase in patrols and sobriety checkpoints through Sunday night.
Officers are also watching for reckless drivers and anyone who might otherwise be under the influence.
According to a new report from the National Transportation Research Nonprofit, traffic-related deaths increased 15% over 5 years in New York.
During last year's crackdown, the governors office says state police arrested nearly 200 people for drunk driving and investigated close to 1,000 crashes, five of which resulted in someone's death.
This comes as a New Jersey man is accused of plowing his truck into a crowd of people at at a Fourth of July event in a Manhattan Park. Daniel Hyden, 44, faces more than a dozen charges including DWI and aggravated vehicular homicide. Investigators allege Hyden was drunk when he veered his pickup truck ino the crowd Thursday, pinnning some victims under the vehicle. Three people died, including a woman and her adult son, and at least seven others are hospitalized. Authorities say bystanders held Hyden at the scene until police arrived.