DUI patrolling checkpoints to Curb Drunk Drivers begins with the Crackdown running through till Sept. 3
New Jersey – According to a press release from the Division of Highway Traffic Safety, more than 400 law enforcement agencies in New Jersey will be participating in this campaigning and will attempt to aggressively look for all impaired drivers at sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols during the annual “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” drunk driving mobilization this weekend.
“Our message is simple and unwavering,” acting director of the Division of Highway Traffic Safety Gary Poedubicky said. “If law enforcement finds you driving impaired, they will arrest you. No exceptions.”
Ocean City Gazette reports that the state received a grant to help with enforcement, and more than $750,000 in funding will go to 172 involved agencies.
The crackdowns will be funded by a $4,400 grant from the Division and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NTHSA) that will help fund the patrols. It will also carry on for a week starting from Aug. 17 and ending on Sept. 3.
The New Jersey Police will also be on the lookout for motorists impaired by drugs during the campaign as NHTSA has seen an alarming rise in DUI- drugged incidences.
During last year’s crackdown, police made 1,437 DWI arrests in New Jersey while intoxicated. They also issued 5,966 citations for speeding, 3,684 for seatbelt violations, 2,793 for driving with a suspended license and 775 tickets for reckless driving were issued. Nearly 1,500 fugitives were apprehended during the crackdowns. In 2010, 153 people died in crashes in which a driver or motorcycle operator was at or above a BAC (Blood Alcohol Concentration) of .08, which is the legal limit in all 50 states.
Cinnaminson Patch reported that 20 percent of New Jersey’s motor vehicle fatalities in 2010 were alcohol related.
“All too often, innocent, law-abiding people suffer tragic consequences and the loss of loved ones due to this careless disregard for human life,” said Division of Highway Traffic Safety Acting Director Gary Poedubicky. “Because we’re committed to ending the carnage, we are intensifying enforcement during the crackdown. Twice as many alcohol-impaired crashes occur over the weekend and four times as many occur at night, so police will be especially vigilant during these high-risk times.”
Although data from NHTSA shows the number of alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities in New Jersey have been falling, traffic safety officials say the numbers are still too high.
The Division of Highway Traffic Safety has offered the following advice to ensure a safe summer travel season for those who choose to drink alcohol this summer:
- Spend the night rather than get behind the wheel.
- Try to take mass transit, a taxi or ask a sober friend to drive you home.
- Report impaired drivers to law enforcement. It is important to note that in the State of New Jersey, drivers may dial #77 to report a drunk or aggressive driver.
- If you’re intoxicated and traveling on foot, the safest way to get home is to take a cab or have a sober friend or family member drive or escort you to your doorstep.
- Always fasten your seatbelts and buckle up, every ride, irrespective of your seating position in the vehicle. It’s your best defense against an impaired driver.
