The Catskill Chronicle

SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY (August 8, 2014) – Sullivan County Sheriff, Mike Schiff, held a press conference in partnership with Sullivan County District Attorney Jim Farrell, and Dick Martinkovic, Sullivan County Commissioner of Public Safety, on August 8 at the Dr. Duggan Community Center in White Lake, NY.

The focus of the press conference was the increasing number of motor vehicle accidents and fatalities in Sullivan County.

What follows is the statement from the press conference:

“The Sheriff’s Office has investigated approximately 55 fatal motor vehicle accidents over the past decade in Sullivan County. Nine of those fatal accidents have occurred on the Route 17B corridor resulting in 19 people losing their lives. This does not include accidents investigated by the New York State police. Last Saturday night’s fatal head-on accident, that took the life of 33 year old Narrowsburg resident Robert Schenk, is just another in a long list of tragedies on Route 17B. The physical road itself is not inherently dangerous. The State DOT does a great job of maintaining it. It’s the volume of traffic and the habits of the drivers who use it that have contributed to the accidents. State Route 17B is the main thoroughfare from the County Seat, which is Monticello, to the western part of the county. It is one of the economic life lines of our community.

“Keeping the motoring public safe, especially on Route 17B, is a priority. That is why I am here today with my public safety partners to announce enhanced traffic safety enforcement on this vital stretch of Sullivan County Highway. Our goal is to get through the rest of the summer, if not the rest of the year without another fatal accident. The reason we are here today is to inform the public of this problem and to give fair warning that we will be increasing traffic safety enforcement in this area.

“The list of offenses that the Sheriff’s Patrol will be targeting are:

-Driving While Intoxicated/Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs

-Speeding

-Passing on the Double Yellow Line

-Passing on the Shoulder

-Wearing a Seatbelt

-Talking on the Cellp hone

-Texting

The Sheriff’s Patrol will increase enforcement on Route 17B using two programs:

1. S.T.E.P. (Selective Traffic Enforcement Program) which is a grant from the Governor’s Traffic Safety Council. S.T.E.P. is meant to target violations of the vehicle and traffic law that concern hazardous operation of motor vehicles.

2. STOP DWI. Stop DWI is a program that is administered at the county level. It provides extra funds to add patrols for the sole purpose of detecting and arresting drunk drivers. That money comes from the fines and fees of those convicted of drunk driving.

The Sheriff’s Office will commence these patrols immediately and will be coordinating this effort with our public safety partners.