'Drive Sober Or Get Pulled Over' Crackdown Begins In Cranford

CRANFORD, NJ — Cranford Police Department is cracking down on drunk driving in the month of December.

Starting on Friday and continuing through Sunday, Jan. 1 police from Cranford and other towns across New Jersey will conduct saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints, looking for people who are driving while intoxicated as part of the "Drive Sober Or Get Pulled Over 2022 Year End Holiday Crackdown."

Last year, 23 percent of all motor vehicle fatalities in New Jersey were alcohol-related, according to Cranford Police. Nationally, 11,654 people died in 2020 in drunk driving crashes.

The societal cost associated with these crashes is estimated to be $44 billion annually, authorities said.

According to Dollman Law Group, a quarter of the profits for the $49 billion dollar alcohol industry are made between Thanksgiving and New Years, and 28 percent of fatal crashes in December involve drunk drivers.

New Year’s Eve also has the highest rate of alcohol-related traffic accident fatalities, according to the law group.

Law enforcement agencies participating in the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over 2022 Year End Holiday Crackdown offered the following advice for the holiday season:

• Take mass transit, a taxicab, or ask a sober friend to drive you home.
• Spend the night where the activity or party is held.
• If you see an impaired driver on the road, contact law enforcement. Your actions may save someone’s life, and inaction could cost a life.
• Always buckle-up, every ride. It’s your best defense against an impaired driver.
• If you are intoxicated and traveling on foot, the safest way to get home is to take a cab, use a rideshare platform, or have a sober friend or family member drive or escort you to your doorstep.
• Be responsible. If someone you know is drinking, do not let that person get behind the wheel.

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