POINT PLEASANT – If you plan on having a few drinks at that holiday party, make sure to coordinate a ride home! Local law enforcement will be cracking down on impaired driving this holiday season with the annual “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign.
Police will be conducting saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints between Dec. 7 and Jan. 1, checking for motorists impaired by drugs or alcohol.
“Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” is a national campaign that works to raise awareness about the dangers of impaired driving through enforcement and public education.
“During the last five years New Jersey has experienced nearly 38,000 alcohol involved crashes resulting in more than 700 fatalities,” said Point Pleasant Police Captain Robert Lokerson. “This is a critical law enforcement program that can save lives during a time of the year when impaired driving traditionally increases by nearly 10 percent.”
Just last year alone found that 20 percent of motor vehicle fatalities in the state were alcohol-related.
Law enforcement officials offer the following advice:
- Take mass transit, a taxicab, or ask a sober friend to drive you home.
- Spend the night where the activity or party is held.
- If you see an impaired driver on the road, contact law enforcement. Your actions may save someone’s life, and inaction could cost a life.
- Always buckle-up. It’s your best defense against an impaired driver.
- 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 or escort you to your doorstep.
- Be responsible. If someone you know is drinking, do not let that person get behind the wheel.
