As you cruise the New York State Thruway this Summer, singing along to the radio cranked to your favorite song, you will see Department of Transportation crews along the way but not all of them are repairing the roads, some are police officers and they are looking for you.

The New York State Police are once again teaming with the Department of Transportation for 'Operation Hard Hat". As officers are donning hard hats and safety vests they aren't holding shovels or measuring tape. They are holding radar guns in search of speeders, distracted drivers, or anyone violating the law while driving.

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According to News10 ABC, members of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office were out on the roads earlier this week and were able to issue nearly 40 tickets to drivers for a variety of reasons.

  • Failure to comply with a flag person
  • No seat belt
  • Cell phone use while operating a vehicle
  • Equipment violations
  • Uninspected vehicles
  • Open alcohol containers
  • No driver’s license

In support of a similar campaign in April New York State DOT Information Specialist, Region 9, Scott Cook told WENY:

Inside those cones are people, real people, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, whose families are waiting for them to come home at night.

I wouldn't want to be working on the thruway with only an orange cone to protect me from speeding cars, or the ones going slow. Operation Hard Hat is an ongoing effort during the warm weather months. Heads up.

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