The Roselle Park Police will be participating in the New Jersey statewide drunk driving crackdown ”Over the Limit, Under Arrest’ campaign from August 19th through September 5th, 2011. Local and state law enforcement officers will conduct sobriety checkpoints, looking for motorists who may be driving while intoxicated.
The campaign is aimed 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 the busiest travel times of the year. As part of the initiative, the Division of Highway Traffic Safety provides grants to local law enforcement agencies throughout the state to run the two-week campaign.
In 2009 in New Jersey, statistics show that 149 people were killed as a result of alcohol-related crashes. That number represents 25% of the 583 traffic fatalities reported in New Jersey that year.
Law enforcement agencies participating in the Over the Limit, Under Arrest 2011 crackdown offer the following advice:
- If you plan to drink, designate a driver – someone who will not drink alcohol – before going out.
- Take mass transit, a taxi, 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 to report a drunk or aggressive driver, or contact the Roselle Park Police Department at (908) 245-2300.
- Always buckle up, regardless of your seating position in the vehicle. It is your best defense against an impaired driver.
- If you are intoxicated and traveling on foot, the safest way to get home is to take a cab or have a sober friend or family member drive you to your doorstep.
Roselle Park Police will be conducting a drunk driving checkpoint on West Westfield Avenue on the evening of August 25, 2011. Motorists are advised to expect delays.