SOMERSET COUNTY: Be A HERO, Be A Designated Driver This Summer

From the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office

In anticipation of increased road travel around the Fourth of July holiday, Somerset County Sheriff Frank J. Provenzano is stressing the importance of safe and sober driving. “I want to remind drivers that law enforcement will be out in full force to thwart impaired-driving crashes throughout the summer,” he said.

“The Somerset County Sheriff’s Office is continuously promoting designated driving in an effort to keep impaired drivers off the road,” he said. “With great support coming from the Safe Communities Coalition, Empower Somerset, local eating and drinking establishments and car dealerships, we are hopeful the message will be taken to heart.”

Sheriff Provenzano has garnered the participation of community businesses to promote the John R. Elliott HERO Campaign for Designated Drivers. Verve Restaurant in Somerville and Big Heads Pub in Hillsborough, as well as car dealerships Bridgewater Lexus and Bridgewater BMW, are handing out HERO Campaign brochures and magnets.

Bill Elliott and his wife Muriel started the HERO Campaign for Designated Drivers in memory of their son, U.S. Navy Ensign John R. Elliott, who was killed in a collision with a drunk driver in July 2000. While at the U.S. Naval Academy, Ensign Elliott was selected as a Human Education Resource Officer (HERO) to counsel and mentor other members of his company and was named “the outstanding HERO” of his graduating class. He was killed two months after graduating from the academy.

“Be a HERO, be a designated driver if you want to make your community safer this Fourth of July,” said Sheriff Provenzano. “We are not asking citizens to stop having fun and drinking. We are just reminding them to consume responsibly. We want to keep people from making a poor choice that harms others and themselves.”

For more information about the HERO Campaign, visit www.herocampaign.org