Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee Announces Results of Increased Efforts to Curb Distracted Driving
More Than 54,000 Tickets Issued Total During Operation Hang Up Enforcement Mobilization
Over 7,000 for Distracted Driving
The Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC) today announced law enforcement agencies throughout the state issued 54,144 tickets for various vehicle and traffic law violations, including 7,190 tickets for distracted driving and 1,543 tickets for impaired driving, during the Operation Hang Up statewide mobilization between April 6 and 13. The enforcement campaign is just one of several initiatives GTSC funds to prevent traffic deaths and injuries on New York’s roads.
“We have and will continue to have zero tolerance for those who put their and everyone else’s lives in jeopardy by driving while distracted,” said New York State Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Mark J.F. Schroeder, who chairs the GTSC. “The results of this enforcement mobilization send a clear message that reckless drivers will be caught and held accountable. I thank all of our law enforcement partners for their commitment to keeping our roadways as safe as possible.”
Operation Hang Up is a mobilization to deter, identify and cite distracted drivers during the month of April, which is Distracted Driving Awareness month nationally. The annual statewide initiative is funded by the GTSC.
As part of the enforcement, law enforcement officers also targeted impaired driving, speeding and aggressive drivers across the state. Below is a breakdown of the total tickets that were issued during the mobilization campaign.
According to data from the University at Albany's Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research (ITSMR), in 2024, some form of driver distraction, such as inattention and/or cell phone use, was listed as a contributing factor in more than 67,000 police-reported crashes in New York State, of which 123 were fatal and more than 25,000 resulted in injuries. Nationally, in 2024, crashes involving distracted drivers claimed nearly more than 3,200 lives and injured more than 315,000.
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