Police Issue 68 Tickets, 33 For Speeding In One-Day Work Zone Enforcement Effort: NYSP

LINDENHURST, NY — New York State Police issued 68 tickets in a work zone on the Southern State Parkway Monday as part of “Operation Hard Hat,” a special initiative that saw police step up enforcement at work zones, police said.

The enforcement took place on the eastbound side of the Southern State Parkway between exits 35 and 36, with police saying they issued 33 of the 68 tickets for speeding violations.

“The number of violations observed in such a short period shows the ongoing risks faced by highway workers and the importance of driver awareness in these areas,” Police said. “Individuals who commit these infractions are choosing to drive dangerously and place highway workers and other motorists in jeopardy.”

The parkway was already the site of an enforcement effort earlier this year, when police conducted “Operation Southern Shield,” making over 100 DWI arrests between late April and late June.

The parkway has also been the site of several tragic crashes in recent years, including a June crash that left a 4-year-old boy dead and a March crash that took the lives of a husband and wife.

With this latest enforcement effort, police said they were aiming to protect construction workers, often found outside the cars but still at risk when cars are driven dangerously.

“The goal is to protect highway and roadside workers, emergency personnel and all motorists from dangerous driving in and around active work zones,” Police said. “Drivers who engage in behavior that places others in harm's way not only risk causing a tragedy but face the prospect of being ticketed or arrested.”