April 20, 2026
The New York State Police will participate in a statewide, multi-agency traffic safety campaign focused on reducing crashes involving teen drivers.
Each year, communities across New York State experience tragic losses of high school students in traffic crashes leading up to graduation.
In an effort to reduce these tragedies, the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC) launched this campaign in 2014. The “empty chair” symbolizes the absence of a high school senior lost to a preventable crash on graduation day.
The week-long “No Empty Chair” campaign will run from Monday, April 20, 2026, through Friday, April 24, 2026.
State Police and partner law enforcement agencies will conduct targeted enforcement to address traffic violations prior to and during graduation season.
Throughout the campaign, Troopers will conduct enforcement details focusing on a different traffic safety risk each day, while continuing to enforce all other vehicle and traffic laws. This includes the annual “Operation Safe Stop,” which promotes school bus safety through education and enforcement efforts.
The daily enforcement themes are as follows:
- Monday, April 20, 2026 – Underage drinking and impaired driving
- Tuesday, April 21, 2026 – Seatbelts and child restraints
- Wednesday, April 22, 2026 – Cell phone use and texting
- Thursday, April 23, 2026 – Operation Safe Stop
- Friday, April 24, 2026 – Speeding in school zones
During the campaign, Troopers will utilize both marked State Police vehicles and Concealed Identity Traffic Enforcement (CITE) vehicles. These vehicles allow Troopers to more effectively identify motorists violating traffic laws, particularly distracted driving offenses. While they blend in with everyday traffic, they are clearly identifiable as emergency vehicles once emergency lighting is activated.
The following are New York State driver violation point values for select offenses:
- Speeding (MPH over limit not indicated) – 3 points
- Speeding 1–10 MPH over limit – 3 points
- Speeding 11–20 MPH over limit – 4 points
- Speeding 21–30 MPH over limit – 6 points
- Speeding 31–40 MPH over limit – 8 points
- Speeding more than 40 MPH over limit – 11 points
- Improper cell phone use – 5 points
- No seat belt (under age 16) – 3 points
- Child safety seat violation – 3 points
- Failure to stop for a school bus – 8 points
The New York State Police remind all motorists that safe driving behaviors are critical to protecting young drivers and ensuring every student arrives safely at graduation.