With the coming holiday weekend police agencies around the Garden State will be on a heightened alert for partiers and other people driving while intoxicated between picnics and family gatherings. Regardless of the bad economy, drunken driving arrests and summonses are certain to increase in the next couple weeks.
As a New Jersey DWI defense attorney and drunk driver lawyer, my job is to help motorists who have been arrested by state police, municipal patrolmen and other law enforcement personnel for DWI and drug DUI traffic offenses. Many of these arrests occur at so-called sobriety checkpoints, which are frequently set up throughout the New Jersey area.
As part of the upcoming drunk driving enforcement campaign, known as “Over the Limit, Under Arrest,” police units have taken to the streets in an effort to cut the instances of driving while under the influence of alcohol or prescription drugs.
According to news reports, law enforcement agencies are already conducting patrols and operating DWI roadblocks until September 6. Police officers in will be cracking down on drunk drivers as part of this summer’s campaign. The state and local effort is designed to raise awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving through high-visibility police patrols and public education.
The New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety typically provides grants to local law enforcement agencies throughout the state to run these programs. As one report mentioned, the state’s traffic safety division said that last year New Jersey saw 185 fatal DWI-related car crashes — according to reports, that number represents nearly a third of the almost 600 fatal accidents statewide in 2009. Authorities reported that nearly 70 of those alcohol-related deaths happened during the summer.
Over the Limit, Under Arrest, NorthJersey.com, August 26, 2010