NY Launches Holiday Drunken Driving Crackdown

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York state has kicked off a two-week holiday crackdown on drunken and impaired drivers.

The effort announced Thursday runs from Friday through Jan. 1. It will include stepped-up patrols using marked and unmarked police cars as well as sobriety checkpoints. Both state and local authorities are participating.

Officers will be looking for drunk and impaired drivers as well as motorists violating state seat belt laws and the ban on texting while driving.

The holiday crackdown comes during one of the busiest travel times of the year. Last year's campaign resulted in 477 arrests for drunken driving and more than 11,000 tickets for speeding.

[STORY BY: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS]