Trenton
-- Police officers throughout New Jersey
will be cracking down on drunk drivers as
part of the annual summer “Over the
Limit, Under Arrest” campaign, Division
of Highway Traffic Safety Director Pam Fischer
announced today.
Beginning
August 20 and running through September
6, police officers will conduct saturation
patrols and sobriety checkpoints, looking
for motorists who may be driving while intoxicated.
“There’s simply no excuse to
drink and drive,” Fischer stated.
“The decision to get behind the wheel
after drinking can change not just your
own life, but the life of your family, your
friends, and everyone who is on the road
with you. Even one drink can impair your
judgment and reaction time, creating a potentially
deadly situation.”
Fischer
noted that last year in New Jersey, 185
people were killed as a result of alcohol-related
crashes. That number represents 31 percent
of the 583 traffic fatalities reported in
the state in 2009. In addition, 67 of those
alcohol-related fatalities occurred during
the summer travel season.
A
concentrated national effort, the “Over
the Limit, Under Arrest” campaign
helps to raise awareness about the dangers
of drunk driving through high-visibility
enforcement and public education that includes
posters, banners and mobile video display
signs. Launched nationally in 1999, the
program works to combat drunk driving during
the summer months -- one of the busiest
travel times of the year.
As
part of the initiative, the Division of
Highway Traffic Safety will provide federal
grants of $4,400 each to 187 law enforcement
agencies throughout the state to run the
two-week campaign. However, all police departments
in the state are encouraged to participate
in the effort. During last year’s
summer “Over the Limit, Under Arrest”
crackdown, participating police agencies
made 1,528 DWI arrests, and issued 8,051
speeding tickets and 4,964 seat belt citations.
The
Division of Highway Traffic Safety offers
the following advice to ensure a safe summer
travel season for those who choose to drink
alcohol:
-
Take mass transit, a taxi or ask a sober
friend to drive you home.
- Spend
the night rather than get behind the wheel.
- Report
impaired drivers to law enforcement. In
New Jersey, drivers may dial #77 to report
a drunk or aggressive driver.
-
Always buckle up, every ride, regardless
of your seating position in the vehicle.
It’s your best defense against an
impaired 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.
Motorists
are also asked to take the pledge of the
Ensign John R. Elliot HERO Campaign for
Designated Drivers: Drive sober, be a designated
driver and don’t let friends drive
drunk. Under the effort, local businesses
and community groups, law enforcement agencies,
and schools work together to keep drunk
drivers off the road. Founded in New Jersey
by the Elliot family following the tragic
death of their son, John, in a head-on collision
with a drunk driver, the campaign has become
a national model for preventing drunk driving.
A list of police agencies receiving mobilization
grants is available on the Division’s
web site, at www.nj.gov/oag/hts/grants/grantees.html
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