Police will set up sobriety checkpoints around Middlesex County as part of a program to ensure the safety of high school students during their prom and graduation ceremonies.
The program is being operated by the municipal police departments in the county and the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Crash Investigations Unit.
The sobriety checkpoints will be set up randomly through the end of June to apprehend impaired drivers.
While there have been numerous arrests for impaired driving over the years, no students have been killed or injured in crashes or arrested on charges of driving while intoxicated during the prom and graduation season, according to a statement prepared by Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey.
First-time offenders run the risk of losing their driving privileges for at least seven months and face a variety of fines, insurance surcharges and legal fees that could total as much as $15,000.
The purpose of the checkpoints is to remove intoxicated drivers from the street; to educate the public about the dangers of drinking and driving and drugged driving, and to deter people from getting behind the wheel after using alcohol or drugs, according to Carey.
The overall goal is to promote the safety of the motoring public and to ensure that prom and graduation celebrants arrive home safely.