ENGLISHTOWN – The Englishtown Police Department is participating in the 2016 year end statewide “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign.
From now through Jan. 1, 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, according to Lt. Peter S. Cooke Jr., commanding officer of the Englishtown police force.
The national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” effort endeavors to raise awareness about the dangers of impaired driving through a combination of high-visibility enforcement and public education. During the last five years, New Jersey has experienced approximately 41,000 alcohol involved crashes resulting in more than 800 fatalities, according to the police department.
In 2015, 29 percent of all motor vehicle fatalities in New Jersey were alcohol-related. Nationally, more than 10,000 people die each year in drunk driving crashes. The societal cost associated with these crashes is estimated to be $37 billion annually, according to Cooke.
Law enforcement agencies participating in the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” 2016 initiative 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 is 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 you to your doorstep.
