Eatontown Police Cracking Down on Drunk Drivers This Month

The Eatontown Police will be cracking down on drunk drivers as part of the summer 2012 “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign. 

The campaign will begin on Friday, Aug. 17 and will run through Sept. 3.

Local and state police will conduct sobriety checkpoints and roving patrols, looking for motorists who may be driving while intoxicated.

The national campaign is designed to help raise awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving through high-visibility enforcement and public education tools, including posters, banners and mobile video display signs, according to a release from the Eatontown Police Department.

The program was launched nationally in 1999 and works to combat drunk driving during some of the busiest travel times of the year, including the Labor Day holiday period.

“Many people believe that after a few drinks they’re still safe to drive,” Acting Director of the Division of Highway Traffic Safety Gary Poedubicky said. “Even one drink can impair your judgment and reaction time, putting not only yourself, but everyone on the road, in danger.”  

According to the release, in 2010, alcohol-impaired fatalities accounted for 20 percent of New Jersey’s motor vehicle fatalities. 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.

Law enforcement agencies participating in the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over 2012 crackdown offer the following advice:

• If you plan to drink, designate a driver, someone who will not drink alcohol, before going out.

• Take mass transit, a taxi or ask a sober friend to drive you home.

• Spend the night where the activity is held.

• Report impaired drivers to law enforcement. In New Jersey, drivers may dial #77 to report a drunk or aggressive driver.

• Always buckle up, every ride, regardless of your seating position in the vehicle.  It’s your best defense against an impaired driver.

• If you’re intoxicated and traveling on foot, the safest way to get home is to take a cab or have a sober friend or family member drive you to your doorstep.