The Metuchen Police Department will be cracking down on drunken drivers as part of the annual holiday season Over the Limit, Under Arrest statewide campaign, which began on Dec. 8 and will run through Jan. 2.
As part of the campaign, local and state law enforcement officials will conduct saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints, looking for motorists who may be driving while intoxicated.
The campaign, a concentrated national effort that was launched in 1999, helps to raise awareness of the dangers of drinking and driving through high-visibility enforcement and public education tools, including posters, banners and mobile video display signs.
Impaired drivers kill nearly 18,000 people on our nation’s roadways each year. In 2007, 205 people were killed as a result of alcohol-related crashed in New Jersey. That number represents 28 percent of the 724 traffic fatalities reported in the state.
Law enforcement agencies participating in the campaign offer the following advice:
• If you plan to drink, designate a driver, someone who will not drink so they’re sober to drive, before going out.
• Take mass transit, a taxicab, or ask a sober friend to drive you home.
• Spend the night where the activity is held.
• Report impaired drivers to law enforcement. In New Jersey, drivers may dial #77 on their cell phones to report a drunk driver.
• Always buckle up, every ride. It’s your best defense against an impaired driver.