State police to launch Operation Southern Shield to crack down on dangerous, distracted driving on the Southern State Parkway
The initiative comes weeks after several major crashes on the parkway.
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The New York State Police is launching an initiative to crack down on reckless driving along one of Long Island's most dangerous roads.
Operation Southern Shield is a targeted traffic enforcement initiative that will include patrols focused on segments of the Southern State Parkway where there have been a high number of incidents.
Troopers said the primary goal is to reduce the number of fatal and serious injury collisions on the parkway.
“There’s nothing special about the Southern State…” said New York State Police Captain Vincent Augeri. “You can design the safest road in the world. For an aggressive or reckless driver or drunk driver on that road, it is now the most dangerous road.”
During the operation, troopers will actively target aggressive, impaired and distracted driving as well as speeding and other behaviors that lead to crashes.
"These tragedies are preventable when drivers understand they share a responsibility to keep our highways safe by following traffic laws, including speed limits," New York State Police wrote in a release announcing the enforcement action.
State police spoke with the media at headquarters in East Meadow before deploying out to the roads Friday evening.
During the meeting, Jawana Richardson shared how she’s seen firsthand the impacts of crashes on the Southern State Parkway. Her husband was killed in a drunk driving accident in 2014.
“In that moment, my entire world stopped. My husband, my soulmate, my heart was gone…” Richardson said. “I’m traumatized. I will not get on the Southern State Parkway for sure.”
The initiative also comes less than two weeks after a state trooper was injured when a distracted driver hit them while the trooper was responding to a DWI crash near Exit 14 in Valley Stream.
State Police said the driver was speeding and failed to follow the state's move over law because they were distracted while she adjusted her boot and socks before slamming into the back of the patrol car on Sunday, April 12.
There have been other recent fatal crashes on the parkway in the last few months.
On Sunday, April 5, one person died in a single-car crash along the Southern State near Exit 19 in Hempstead.
Three weeks before that, on Sunday, March 15, a driver identified as Diana Kutateladze, 36, was allegedly drunk behind the wheel when she sideswiped another vehicle, crossed over the center median and struck multiple cars head-on.
The crash killed two and a total of six cars and 10 people were involved, west of exit 17S in Malverne.
Officers say their message is simple: slow down, put your phone away, wear a seatbelt, pay attention and never drive impaired.
A spokesperson for the state Department of Transportation told News 12, "The New York State Department of Transportation appreciates the New York State Police in their continued enforcement on Long Island’s parkways as they are a valued partner in safety.'
