Officers from the Linden Police Department are gearing up for the state’s largest annual drunk driving crackdown.
The 2017 “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” Statewide Labor Day Crackdown begins August 18 and concludes on September 4. During the campaign, Officers will increase roving patrols targeting motorists who may be driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that the average drunk driver operates a vehicle while intoxicated over 80 times before their first arrest.
1 On average, 2 in 3 drivers will be involved in a drunk driving crash during their life time.
2 “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” is a national campaign to curtail drinking and driving during the busy summer travel season, including the Labor Day holiday, when drivers are nearly four times more likely to be killed in a traffic accident as over a regular weekend.
“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,” said 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. Linden has participated in the campaign since 2007, and this year marks the tenth year they will participate.
“Drunk driving changes lives in the blink of an eye,” explained Linden Police Department Traffic Lieutenant William Mack. “Our goal is to make our roadways as safe as possible, so that families and friends can enjoy the holiday safely.”
Law enforcement agencies participating in the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over 2017 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, 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 you to your doorstep.