EDISON — Township police plan to crack down on drunk driving as part of the 2015 “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign.
Through Sept. 7, local and state law enforcement will set up sobriety checkpoints and roving patrols in search of motorists who are driving while intoxicated, police said.
A national campaign, “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” is designed to raise awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving through high-visibility enforcement and public education tools that include posters, banners and mobile video-display signs.
Launched across the U.S. in 1999, the program works to combat drunk driving during the busy summer travel season, including the Labor Day holiday period.
“More than 10,000 people are killed in the United States each year in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, and these crashes cost our society nearly $50 billion annually,” said Gary Poedubicky, acting director of the Division of Highway Traffic Safety. “There is a zero tolerance message for this campaign. If drivers are caught operating their vehicle while impaired, they will be arrested.”
As part of the initiative, the Division of Highway Traffic Safety provides grants to local law enforcement agencies throughout the state to run the two-week campaign.