Police around New Jersey, and locally Wildwood Police Department and Lower Township Police Department, are gearing up for the state’s largest annual drunk driving crackdown.
The 2018 “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” Statewide Year End Holiday Day Crackdown began Dec. 7 and will end Jan. 1, 2019.
According to releases, during the campaign, law enforcement officers will conduct sobriety checkpoints and roving patrols targeting 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 educational activities including national radio and television advertisements, posters, banners, and mobile video display signs.
The campaign seeks to curtail impaired driving during the busy winter travel season when most Americans gather to enjoy their free time with friends and family.
End-of-year holidays are when most Americans gather to enjoy their free time with friends and family. They are also some of the most deadly times on American roads due to impaired driving.
That’s why during the summer and the end of the year, a nationwide campaign comprised of thousands of traffic safety partners, join together to protect citizens from this deadly crime. Here in New Jersey, the Division of Highway Traffic Safety utilizes the Driver Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign to achieve its goal: PREVENTION.
“Despite years of enforcement and public awareness efforts, too many people still make the unfortunate decision to get behind the wheel while impaired. Nearly 30% of all motor vehicle fatalities in New Jersey are alcohol related,” stated Gary Poedubicky, acting director of the NJ Division of Highway Traffic Safety. “This is a zero tolerance campaign. If drivers are caught operating their vehicle while impaired they will be arrested,” he added.
As part of the initiative, the Division of Highway Traffic Safety provides grants to local police agencies throughout the state to run the two-week campaign. During last year’s crackdown, participating agencies made 1,649 DWI arrests.
Law enforcement agencies participating in the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over 2018 crackdown offer the following advice:
Those who plan to drink, should designate a driver, someone who will not drink alcohol, before going out.
Don’t risk it. Plan to drive? Don’t drink.
Take mass transit, a taxi or ask a sober friend to drive those who drank home.
Spend the night where the activity is held.
Always buckle up, every ride, regardless of one’s seating position in the vehicle. Seat belts are the best defense against an impaired driver.
If 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 them to their doorstep.
Report impaired drivers to law enforcement.
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