New Providence Police Join Statewide Drunk Driving Enforcement Campaign

The New Providence Police Department will be cracking down on drunk drivers as part of the annual holiday season “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” statewide campaign.

Beginning Dec. 5, 2011 and running through Jan. 2, 2012, local and state law enforcement officials will conduct saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints looking for motorists who may be driving while intoxicated.

A concentrated national effort, the campaign helps to raise awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving through high-visibility enforcement and public education tool, including posters, banners and mobile video displays signs. Launched nationally in 1999, the program works to combat drunk driving during some of the busiest travel times of the year.

"This is a critical law enforcement program that can save lives during a time of the year when impaired driving traditionally increases by nearly 10 percent," said Captain Wayne Maurer. "This initiative brings attention to the serious consequences of drunk driving and the grave danger those who choose to drink and drive pose to all who share the road with them."

Last year in New Jersey, 165 people were killed as a result of alcohol-related crashes.  That number represents 30 percent of the 556 traffic fatalities reported in the state in 2010.

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

• Take mass transit, taxicab, 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 on their cell phones to report a drunk driver.