Somerset Police Warn Revelers Not to Drink and Drive

In law enforcement's ongoing battle against drunken driving, residents may notice increased patrols this holiday weekend as police throughout Somerset County participate in the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” enforcement crackdown. 

“Local police will be out in force throughout this Independence Day, on the lookout for motorists who have had too much alcohol to be behind the wheel of a vehicle,” Prosecutor Geoffrey Soriano said.  

“Police will have zero tolerance for impaired drivers who put themselves and everyone else on Somerset County roads at risk of life and limb.”

To back up the message, Soriano noted the latest statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show the continuing toll drunken driving imposes on the nation: impaired-driving crashes killed 9,878 people in 2011, 31 percent of the total traffic fatalities in the United States.   

The percentage of fatalities from impaired driving spike around the Fourth of July. According to NHTSA, 251 people were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes during the Fourth of July holiday in 2011 (which ran from 6 p.m., July 1, to 5:59 a.m., July 5.)  Of those fatalities, 38 percent were in crashes that involved at least one driver or motorcycle operator with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. A BAC of .08 is the legal intoxication limit in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the various U.S. territories.

The level of drunken-driving fatalities is not unique to 2011.  According to additional data from NHTSA, during July 4th holidays over the last five years (from 2007 to 2011), 780 people lost their lives in crashes involving drivers who had BACs of .08 or higher.  These fatalities accounted for 40 percent of all highway deaths over the five-year period.

Over this same period, NHTSA statistics also showed that 511 people died in crashes involving drivers who were very drunk, having BACs of .15 percent or more (meaning the drivers were at least nearly twice the national legal intoxication limit of .08).

July 4th celebrations often extend well into the evening and night, and statistics mark well the combined dangers of alcohol and night driving. In 2011, the proportion of alcohol impairment among drivers involved in fatal crashes was almost 4.5 times higher at night.

And young drivers still aren’t getting the message about the dangers of drinking and driving.  During the July 4th holiday period in 2011, more than half (52 percent) of young drivers 18 to 34 years old killed in alcohol-related crashes were legally drunk.

While death and injury are of course the most serious of possible consequences of drunken driving, there are other negative considerations that can affect lives for many years, including loss of a driver licenses, vehicle impoundment, jail time, lawyer fees, court costs, insurance hikes, just to name a few.

“Those who try to drink and drive this Fourth of July should be forewarned. We will be out in numbers looking for impaired drivers, and we will catch and arrest you.  No warnings. No excuses. If you drive impaired, you will be arrested,” Chief Marty Rasmussen, of the Somerset County Chiefs of Police Association, said.

Law Enforcement Officials recommend these simple tips for a safe holiday:

• Plan a safe way home before the fun begins;

• Before drinking, designate a sober driver;

• If you’re impaired, use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation;

• Use your community’s sober ride program Ride Home2Nite;

• If you happen to see a drunken driver on the road, don’t hesitate to call 911;

• And remember, “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.” If you know someone who is about to drive or ride while impaired, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to get to where they are going safely.

For more information, visit the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration website.