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NYPD DWI arrests up this year, part of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Vision Zero initiative

The NYPD made 1,775 DWI arrests in 2016, compared to only 1,730 last year.
The NYPD made 1,775 DWI arrests in 2016, compared to only 1,730 last year. Photo Credit: Getty Images/Astrid Stawiarz

St. Paddy’s Day revelers and March Madness fans beware: The NYPD is cracking down on drunken driving.

Cops made 2.6% more drunken driving arrests this year, through March 13, than for the same time period last year, according to NYPD statistics.

There were 1,775 people slapped with cuffs in 2016, compared to only 1,730 last year.

And cops aren’t letting up: a citywide initiative held this past weekend netted 117 arrests, many of them throughout Brooklyn and Queens.

The effort plays into the Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Vision Zero initiative.

“[The] NYPD’s actions this weekend show we will take every step necessary to protect our residents and make this city’s streets safe for all New Yorkers,” a spokeswoman for the mayor’s office said in an email. “Vision Zero is our goal, and New Yorkers should continue to expect strong traffic enforcement each day, and more enforcement blitzes in the future.”

Traffic fatalities dropped by 22% from 2013 to 2015, according to the mayor’s office.