Extra DWI Patrols Through Oct. 31: What Utica-Area Drivers Should Know This Halloween
Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, with trunk-or-treats across the Mohawk Valley all week, so more kids are out on the roads while police watch for impaired drivers.
State Police and local departments are running extra DWI patrols and sobriety checkpoints across New York from Sunday, Oct. 25 through Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, the Utica Phoenix reported, citing Gov. Kathy Hochul's Oct. 24 announcement. Officers are also looking for speeding, distracted driving and underage drinking. No checkpoint locations in Utica or Oneida County were announced.
Why now: NHTSA counts 201 deaths in alcohol-related crashes on Halloween nights nationwide from 2019 through 2024. A national study also found a sharply higher risk of pedestrian deaths on Halloween evening, with the biggest jump among kids 4 to 8.
Local help:
- Oneida County STOP-DWI, 120 Base Road, Oriskany: 315-765-2536, oneidacountyny.gov
- The free STOP-DWI "Have a Plan" app finds a cab and lets you report a suspected drunk driver: stopdwi.org/mobileapp
Heading out with kids? See this week's trunk-or-treats, like Kernan Elementary's on Oct. 29.
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