No Texting! It’s New York State Police Operation Hang Up Week

While motorists should always obey the speed limit, follow the rules of the road, and stay off mobile phones while driving, we know how that sometimes goes. But for a week, your driving habits may be watched a bit more closely, including distracted driving.

According to the New York State Police, patrols are participating in a national crackdown on distracted driving over 8 days.

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April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and law enforcement patrols across the nation, including New York State, have increased patrols and checkpoints targeting drivers using electronic devices while behind the wheel. The enforcement effort called "Operation Hang Up" began on Monday, April 7th (2025) and will continue through Monday, April 14, 2025.

While you may see an increased number of marked State Police vehicles, New York State Police are also deploying Concealed Identity Traffic Enforcement vehicles. These types of vehicles help patrols to more easily identify motorists who are using handheld devices while driving. New York State Police notes that these vehicles blend in, but are unmistakable as emergency vehicles once the emergency lighting is activated.

In 2024, during the Operation Hang Up program, 21,768 tickets were issued, including 4,056 tickets for distracted driving across the Empire State. New York State Police note that the NHTSA has tips to help prevent traffic tragedies:

• If you must send or receive a text, pull over to a safe location and park your car first.
• If you have passengers, appoint a “designated texter” to handle all your texting.
• If you can’t resist the temptation to look at your phone, keep it in the trunk.