'Drive Sober' Campaign Coming to Hackettstown Labor Day

Hackettstown police will be participating in the annual "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" initiative for several days around Labor Day this year.

The local police department will kick off the campaign on Aug. 16 and it will run through Sept. 2, during which time officers will conduct sobriety checkpoints and look for drivers who may be intoxicated through roving patrols.

The national "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" campaign is meant to spread awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving. In doing so, participating police departments spread education through banners, posters and video displays. "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" was launched in 1999 and works to stop drunken driving, particularly at the busiest times of the year.

“Recent surveys indicate that many people harbor the dangerous belief that after a few drinks they’re still safe to drive,” said Gary Poedubicky, acting director of the Division of Highway Traffic Safety.  “Even one drink can impair your judgment and reaction time, putting not only yourself, but everyone on the road, in danger.”  

An estimated 19 percent of motor vehicle fatalities in the state were caused by drunken driving in 2012, according to a press release sent by Hackettstown police. To assist with lowering the incidents, the state's Division of Highway Traffic Safety works with municipalities to provide grant funding for the two-week "Drive Sober" campaign.