ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Fourth of July weekend is here, and there are plenty of things to celebrate. With that in mind, law enforcement wants the public to do it responsibly, since the consequences can be deadly. It’s something Sarah Palermo knows all too well.

“She had grown as an adult into one of my best friends,” Palermo said. “She was rear-ended by an impaired driver, both drunk and drugged. On impact, he hit her going 106 miles an hour. He pushed her into her fiance’s car. Her car spun and went underneath a bus and then slingshotted out. There was only 18 inches between her rear bumper and the dashboard.”

Her daughter, Lindsay Kyle, died an hour after a drunk driver crashed into her vehicle 23 years ago. The driver was convicted and served two-thirds of his sentence. 

What You Need To Know

Lindsay Kyle died in a car crash involving a drunk driver in October 2003
New York State Police says drivers should expect more sobriety checkpoints and DWI patrols through Sunday, July 5, as part of its special enforcement period
In 2025, troopers issued more than 10,000 tickets during this period of time
A study shows national trends of more alcohol-related car crashes around the Fourth of July holiday
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office advises to have a plan beforehand by organizing a rideshare service, carpooling or having a designated driver

“I wasn’t able to say goodbye or hold her hand or be with her, and give her if there was any comfort to be given,” Palermo recalled. “Hearing the words that your child is dead is one thing; your body kind of goes into like a defense mode and you shut down and go through these emotions.”

It’s one story that is becoming more common across the country. A study by Selvidge Injury Law looked at crash data from 2022 to 2024, and found that the number of alcohol-related car crashes nearly doubled during the Fourth of July holiday compared to other similar days of the week. The study shows the northeastern region of the country leads those increases with 134% more alcohol-related car crashes. It reports that collisions peak at 10 p.m. following the days festivities when crashes rose by 236%.

“Until we see none, we’re always going to say that it’s too many and it’s too high for us. Public safety is our number one priority,” said Deputy Dave Marcucci, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

The New York State Police’s special enforcement period is underway. Troopers say in 2025, there were more than 10,000 tickets issued across the state. That included 258 tickets for distracted driving, 301 tickets for Move Over law violations and 210 arrests for people driving while intoxicated.

State Police says drivers can expect more sobriety checkpoints and DWI patrols through Sunday, July 5.

“Planning in advance is probably the best advice. Take the decision out of the mix ahead of time. There’s numerous ride services out there, designated drivers, carpooling,” Marcucci said. “That way, at the end of the night, after you’ve celebrated and the extra friends have shown up and the night went a few hours longer than you thought it was going to go, you’re not now sitting there trying to make that decision, right?”

“If you have to get your car next day, that inconvenience is nonexistent compared to the inconvenience of getting into a crash, getting arrested, having criminal charges, potentially a criminal conviction, which also affects your job employment for the rest of your life. And then, the unfortunate, drastic circumstance of if you hurt or kill somebody else,” he added.

Palermo’s daughter was 26 years old when she died. She had just turned in her final term paper and was set to graduate from SUNY Brockport in the coming weeks. She was hit at the intersection at Ford St. and Exchange Blvd. in downtown Rochester in October 2003. Her shoes still sit in Palermo’s sunroom, and the message she left for her mom on the kitchen chalk board still remains.

“When it starts to fade, I trace over it very slowly,” Palermo admitted.

Palermo has turned her pain into advocacy in hopes of protecting someone else’s child someday.

“I like to put a face to the other side of DWI and say that it is a violent way for someone to die, and it’s 100% preventable,” she said. “Nobody’s saved my Lindsay. So I do these things not because I like to talk about it again or revisit it, but I’m trying to save somebody else’s Lindsay.”