Drunk driving crackdown

KEARNY - Law enforcement officers from Kearny will be cracking down on drunk drivers as part of the Over the Limit Under Arrest 2008 Statewide Crackdown. Beginning August 1 and running through September 1, 2008 local and state law enforcement officers will conduct 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. Launched nationally in 1999, the program works to combat drunk driving during some of the busiest travel times of the year.
“New Jersey’s drunk driving laws are among the toughest in the nation,” Pam Fischer, Director of the Division of Highway traffic Safety said. “This initiative increases public awareness not only about the serious fines and penalties drunk drivers can face, but the grave danger these motorists pose to all individuals on the road.”
As part of the national incentive, the Division of Highway Traffic safety provides grants to local law enforcement agencies throughout the State to run the campaign.
Impaired drivers kill nearly 18,000 people on our nation’s roads each year. The National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) reports that nearly 97 percent of Americans view drinking and driving by others as a threat to their families and themselves. In 2007, 205 people were killed as a result of alcohol-related crashes on New Jersey highways. That number represents 28 percent of the 724 traffic fatalities reported in the State. In addition, 82 of those alcohol-related fatalities occurred during the summer travel season.
The Kearny police Department, participating in the Over the Limit Under arrest 2008 Crackdown offer the following advise:
• If you plan to drink, choose a designated driver before going out
• Take mass transit, a taxi cab, or ask a sober friend to drive you home
• Spend the night where the activity is held
• Report impaired drivers to law enforcement
• Always buckle up, every ride. Its your best defense against an impaired driver