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Trenton
-- Law enforcement agencies throughout New
Jersey will conduct saturation patrols and
sobriety checkpoints during the upcoming
holiday season as part of the “Over
the Limit, Under Arrest” year-end,
drunk driving crackdown, Division of Highway
Traffic Safety Acting Director Gary Poedubicky
announced today.
Between December 6, 2010 and January 2,
2011, police agencies will participate in
the national effort designed to combat drunk
driving during one of the busiest and most
dangerous travel times of the year. Designed
to raise awareness about the dangers of
drunk driving, the four week initiative
uses high visibility enforcement and public
education efforts, including posters, banners,
national TV public service announcements
and mobile video display signs.
“Our
goal is to make sure that everyone has a
safe and happy holiday by keeping intoxicated
drivers off the roads,” Poedubicky
said. “Concentrated efforts such as
this one will heighten awareness about the
dangers of drunk driving, and the consequences
motorists can face if they choose to drink
and drive.”
In
place since 1999, the program provides federal
grants, through the state Division of Highway
Traffic Safety, of $5,000 each to 115 law
enforcement departments. However, all local
police agencies received information about
the program and have been asked to run checkpoints
and patrols during the holiday season and
report their results to the Division. The
New Jersey State Police will also participate
in the effort.
Last
year in New Jersey, 189 people were killed
as a result of 179 alcohol-related crashes.
That number represents 32 percent of the
584 traffic fatalities reported in the state
in 2009. Nationally, 10,839 individuals
were killed in highway crashes involving
drunk driving.
“The
number of lives lost as a result of drunk
driving is simply unacceptable,” Poedubicky
said. “As we can see from these numbers,
there is still work to be done. Driving
while intoxicated remains a serious problem,
and this holiday season we are sending a
strong and clear message that this dangerous
and often deadly behavior will not be tolerated
on New Jersey roads.”
The
Division offers the following advice to
ensure a safe and enjoyable holiday season
for all New Jerseyans and out-of-state visitors:
- If
you’ve consumed alcohol, even just
one drink, take mass transit, a taxi or
ask a sober friend to drive you home.
- Report
impaired drivers to law enforcement. In
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 escort you safely to your
doorstep.
- Always
buckle up, every ride, regardless of your
seating position in the vehicle. It’s
the best defense against an impaired driver.
Motorists
are also asked this holiday season to subscribe
to the pledge of the Ensign John R. Elliott
HERO Campaign for Designated Drivers: drive
sober, be a designated driver and don’t
let your 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.
Started in New Jersey by the Elliott 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.
Additional
information on the “Over the Limit,
Under Arrest” year-end crackdown is
available on the Division of Highway Traffic
Safety’s web site, at www.njsaferoads.com.
A
list of police agencies receiving grants
for the mobilization can be found at www.nj.gov/oag/hts/grants/grantees.html.
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