August DWI Crackdown Is Returning To Morris County: Here's When

HANOVER, NJ – Bloomfield police will be among those taking part in the statewide “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” crackdown this year, state officials announced Friday.

Starting on Friday, Aug. 18 and continuing through Sept. 4, police from Hanover and other towns across New Jersey will conduct saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints, looking for motorists who are driving while intoxicated.

The state’s Division of Highway Traffic Safety (HTS) has awarded $616,770 in grant funding to 99 police agencies across the state, with $7,000 going to Hanover police.

"Driving under the influence is not only against the law, but it is also a blatant disregard for the safety and well-being of others," First Assistant Attorney General Lyndsay V. Ruotolo said in a statement. "Through the campaign announced today, we are providing funding to law enforcement agencies across the state to help keep impaired drivers off our roads. But we also need the help of all drivers to act responsibility and prioritize the safety of those around you. Be the reason someone gets home safe tonight."

In 2022, the "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" campaign resulted in 169 impaired driving arrests and 348 seatbelt tickets, 240 distracted driving tickets, and 804 speeding tickets statewide. Additionally, police wrote 609 other summonses for hazardous moving violations.

On the federal level, 13,384 individuals died in drunk-driving crashes in 2021, equivalent to one life lost every 39 minutes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. An average of 11,000 fatalities occurred annually from 2017 to 2021 due to drunk driving, state police added.