Now that we’re several days into the New Year, I’ll say it once again: New Jersey law enforcement agencies and local police continue cracking down on drunken driving around our state. New Year’s Eve may be one of the more common times to find motorists drinking and driving, but every day has the potential for many drivers to be caught driving under the influence of alcohol.
As a New Jersey DWI defense attorney, I and my staff spend our days defending people accused of driving while intoxicated or driving under the influence of prescription drugs. Whether deliberate or not, the police and society have virtually no tolerance for this kind of traffic offense. A recent news article highlighted just a few of the countless DWI arrests that occurred throughout New Jersey this past New Years.
Based on preliminary police reports, there were at least 10 drunken driving arrests on the roadways in Bergen and Passaic counties as the clock struck midnight and people from all over rang in 2010. And while it appears that DWI-related fatal accidents were down this year, there were numerous drunk driving arrests throughout the evening and early morning hours of January 1.
According to new reports, Passaic County was free of DWI arrests on Thursday and Friday. According to the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office, weather was likely a large contributor to the significant reduction in arrests. However, on non-county roads in Passaic County, and across Bergen and Morris counties, 10 people were arrested on driving while intoxicated charges.
At the time of the report, New Jersey State Police did not have a final tally of the total number of DWI arrests on State Police-patrolled highways during the holiday weekend, but it appeared that no fatal accidents occurred between New Year’s Eve and into Friday morning on those roads.
Local police in Teaneck , Passaic and Fairview also reported three DWI incidents each between 11 p.m. Thursday and 7 a.m. Friday. In Fairview , police arrested a man after a traffic stop at 91st Street and Kennedy Boulevard , just over the North Bergen border, about 5:10 a.m. Friday, police said.
Clifton police arrested an alleged drunk driver on the Garden State Parkway who sent two people to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries Thursday morning. Sarah Wallace, 22, of Lodi , was driving an Infinity G37 in the northbound right lane near Route 3 when she tried to crossover to the left lane, allegedly hitting a Nissan Murano in the center lane just after midnight, according to police. The Murano overturned twice and landed upright on the right shoulder.
Police report 10 New Year’s drunk driving arrests on North Jersey roads, NorthJersey.com, January 1, 2010