Aiming to crack down on drunken drivers during the holiday season, the Lawrence Township Police Department is conducting saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints during the annual year-end “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign.
Lawrence Township police officers will be on the looking out more specifically for intoxicated drivers, beginning Dec. 6 through Jan. 1, during the statewide campaign, Lt. Joseph Amodio said.
The Lawrence Township Police Department takes part in the year-end campaign every year.
In 2018, Lawrence police officers made three arrests for driving while intoxicated, but they also issued summonses for a variety of other offenses.
They issued three summons for seat-belt violations, 14 summonses for speeding and four summonses for reckless driving.
Police also handed out three summonses for using a cellphone or texting, nine summonses for driving with a suspended driver’s license, 70 summonses for careless driving and 150 summonses for other violations.
The end-of-year campaign is part of a nationwide effort that seeks to raise awareness about the dangers of driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, Amodio said.
It accomplishes that goal through high-visibility patrols and education.
“During the last five years, New Jersey has experienced nearly 37,000 alcohol-involved crashes that caused 679 fatalities,” Amodio said.
“The ‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over’ campaign is a critical law enforcement program that can save lives during a time of year when social gatherings with alcohol increase the risk of impaired driving,” Amodio said.
The consequences of a conviction for driving while intoxicated start with a fine of $250-400 for the first offense, if the driver’s blood alcohol content is 0.08%. If the driver’s blood alcohol content is at least 0.10%, the fine is $300-500. Both face potential jail time of up to 30 days, and insurance surcharges of $1,000 per year for three years.
A driver whose blood alcohol content is 0.08% will lose driving privileges for three months, while a driver whose blood alcohol content is 0.10% or higher will lose their driver’s license for 7-12 months.
Both would be served with having to spend a minimum of six hours a day for two consecutive days in an “Intoxicated Driver Resource Center.”
A second offense, regardless whether the driver’s blood alcohol content is 0.08% or 0.10% or higher, carries a fine of $500-1,000, plus imprisonment of at least 48 consecutive hours and up to 90 days. There is a two-year suspension of the driver’s license.
A third or subsequent offense means a fine of $1,000, and a jail sentence of 180 days. The driver’s license will be suspended for 10 years, in addition to an automobile insurance surcharge of $1,500 per year for three years. The offender will be placed in an in-patient alcoholism treatment program.
An ignition interlock device that measures a driver’s blood alcohol content will be installed in the vehicle for drivers who have committed a second or subsequent offense. It will remain in place for one to three years after their driver’s license is restored.
Driving with a suspended license due to a driving-while-intoxicated conviction carries a fine of $500, 10-90 days in prison, and an additional suspension of the driver’s license for one to two years. The car’s registration will be revoked.
Lt. Amodio urged drivers to report an impaired driver to police, because that action could save someone’s life.