SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — New Jersey’s largest annual drunken driving crackdown will be here soon, according to an Aug. 15 release from the South Orange Police Department. Law enforcement officers from the South Orange Police Department will be participating in the 2016 Labor Day statewide “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign. Beginning Aug. 19 and running through Sept. 5, local and state law enforcement officers will conduct sobriety checkpoints and roving patrols, looking for motorists who may be driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs.
“Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” is a national campaign designed to raise awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving through high-visibility enforcement backed up by public education efforts, including national radio and television advertisements, posters, banners and mobile video display signs. The campaign looks to curtail impaired driving during the busy summer travel season, including the Labor Day holiday period.
“Many people believe that after a few drinks they’re still safe to drive,” Gary Poedubicky, acting director of the N.J. Division of Highway Traffic Safety, said in the release. “Even one drink can impair your judgment and reaction time, putting not only yourself, but everyone on the road, in danger.
“There is a zero-tolerance message for this campaign,” he continued. “If drivers are caught operating their vehicle while impaired, they will be arrested.”
In 2013, alcohol-impaired fatalities accounted for 27 percent of New Jersey’s motor vehicle fatalities. As part of the initiative, the Division of Highway Traffic Safety provides grants to local law enforcement agencies throughout the state to run the two-week campaign.
Law enforcement agencies participating in the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” 2016 crackdown offer the following advice:
- If you plan to drink, designate a driver, someone who will not drink alcohol, before going out;
- Take mass transit, a taxi or ask a sober friend to drive you home;
- Spend the night where the activity is held;
- Always buckle up, regardless of your seating position in the vehicle, as it is your best defense against an impaired driver; and
- If you are 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 you to your doorstep.
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