Increased police patrols and sobriety checks will continue

With the July 4 holiday weekend in full swing, law enforcement officials across the state are reminding drivers that drunk driving enforcement remains in effect.

You can expect to see increased patrols and sobriety checkpoints through Sunday evening.

Officers also monitor reckless drivers and anyone who may be under the influence of alcohol.

Traffic-related deaths have increased 15 percent in New York City in five years, according to a new report from the National Transportation Research Nonprofit.

During last year’s crackdown, the governor’s office says state police arrested nearly 200 people for drunken driving and investigated nearly 1,000 crashes, including five that resulted in fatalities.

A New Jersey man is accused of ploughing his truck into a crowd at a Fourth of July event in a Manhattan park. Daniel Hyden, 44, faces more than a dozen charges, including drunken driving and vehicular manslaughter. Investigators say Hyden was drunk when he swerved his truck into the crowd Thursday, pinning 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.