N.J. to Crack Down on Drunk Drivers Over Holidays

Division of Highway Traffic Safety Director Pam Fischer announced that law enforcement agencies throughout New Jersey will conduct saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints during the upcoming holiday season, as part of the “Over the Limit, Under Arrest” year-end, drunk driving crackdown.

Between now and Jan. 2, 2009, police agencies throughout the State will participate in this national initiative designed to combat drunk driving during one of the most dangerous travel times of the year.

As part of the initiative, which has been in place since 1999, the Division will be providing grants of $5,000 each to 92 law enforcement agencies. However, all towns and cities have received information on the program and are being asked to run checkpoints and patrols during this time period and report their results to the Division.

Impaired drivers kill nearly 18,000 people on the nation’s roadways each year. In 2007, 205 people were killed as a result of alcohol-related crashes in New Jersey. That number represents 28 percent of the 724 traffic fatalities reported in the State. Between Dec. 21, 2007 and Jan. 2, 2008, there were 23 fatalities on New Jersey roadways, with 14 of those individuals killed in crashes that were alcohol or drug-related.

In addition, Fischer noted that 10 of the individuals killed during that same time period last year were pedestrians, adding that all motorists should remain alert to the increase in pedestrian traffic during the holidays.

Fischer noted that during the 2007 year-end DWI crackdown, 2,038 individuals were arrested for drunk driving. Law enforcement agencies also issued 4,407 seat belt citations, 298 summonses for failure to use a child restraint, and 12,316 speeding citations during last year’s holiday crackdown.