Trenton
– Police departments will beef up
their patrols and conduct DWI checkpoints
during one of the most dangerous and deadly
periods of the year for traffic crashes,
the Division of Highway Traffic Safety announced
today. The year-end law enforcement crackdown
starts today and will run through January
2.
The division has issued $5,000 enforcement
grants to 54 police departments in Bergen,
Essex, Mercer, Monmouth, Middlesex, Ocean,
and Somerset counties.
Last year, 263, or 35 percent, of motor
vehicle fatalities in New Jersey were alcohol-related.
On the national level, nearly 17,000 people
lost their lives in alcohol-related crashes
in 2005, according to the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Tougher
enforcement is supported by 97 percent of
Americans who view drunk driving as a serious
threat to themselves and others, according
to a NHTSA survey.
“Alcohol-related
crash fatalities have been slowly declining
in the Garden State according to NHTSA,
from 285 in 2001 to 263 in 2005,”
said Roberto Rodriguez, Director of the
Division of Highway Traffic Safety. “But
even one fatality is one too many. This
crackdown is designed to lessen alcohol-related
deaths with high visibility enforcement
right through the New Year’s holiday
weekend.”
“People
forget the dangers of drinking and driving
unless they are constantly faced with the
consequences,” said Colonel Joseph
R. Fuentes, Superintendent of the New Jersey
State Police. “Even a couple of alcoholic
drinks at a holiday party are enough to
slow a driver’s reaction speed down,
and maybe enough to put them over the legal
limit. The penalties are too severe to take
that risk.”
The Division of Highway Traffic Safety
offers the following tips for motorists
during the holiday season:
-
If you’re planning to drink, choose
a designated driver
-
If a designated driver is not available,
plan to spend the night where the activity
is being held
-
Report impaired drivers by using #77.
Provide the location and a brief description
of the vehicle
-
Always buckle up. It’s your best
defense against an impaired driver
List
of Grantees
- Bergen
County:
- Bogota PD
- E.Rutherford PD
- Emerson PD
- Fort Lee PD
- Garfield PD Hackensack PD
- Hillsdale PD
- Leonia PD
- Lodi PD
- Northvale PD
- Palisades Interstate
- Parkway
- Ridgefield Park PD
- Ridgewood PD
- Waldwick PD
- Westwood PD
- Essex County:
- Bloomfield PD
- Caldwell PD
- Cedar Grove PD
- Essex Fells PD
- Maplewood PD
- Montclair PD
- Nutley PD
- South Orange PD
- West Caldwell PD
- West Orange PD
- Mercer
County:
- Ewing
PD
- Hamilton Twp PD
- Hopewell Twp PD
- Lawrence Twp PD
- Princeton Twp PD
- Trenton PD
- Washington Twp PD
- West Windsor PD
- Lodi PD
- Northvale PD
- Middlesex County:
-
Sayreville PD
-
Ridgefield Park PD
- Monmouth County:
-
Asbury Park PD
-
Belmar PD
-
Eatontown PD
-
Freehold Twp PD
-
Holmdel PD
-
Lake Como PD
-
Manalapan Twp PD
-
Marlboro Twp PD
-
Middletown Twp PD
-
Neptune Twp PD
-
Ocean Twp PD
-
Oceanport PD
-
Old Bridge Twp PD
-
Red Bank PD
-
Wall Twp PD
-
West Long Branch PD
-
Manasquan Boro PD
-
Aberdeen PD
-
Ocean
County:
-
Somerset County:
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