HOBOKEN AND BEYOND — Hoboken police will take part in the annual holiday season “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” nationwide anti-drunk driving campaign, which runs from Dec. 5 to Jan. 2, 2012. Police will be out to 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 tools, including posters, banners and mobile video display signs, according to a city release. The program was launched in 1999.
“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 Hoboken Public Safety Director Jon Tooke, in a release. “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, 168 people were killed as a result of alcohol-related crashes, according to a city release. That number represents 30 percent of the 556 traffic fatalities reported in the state in 2010.
Officials are encouraging people to take mass transit, or spend a night where an event is being held, if they’ve been drinking.
People can also report impaired drivers to law enforcement. In New Jersey, drivers may dial #77 on their cell phones to report a drunk driver. – Ray Smith