Wall Police To Participate In Drunken Driving Crackdown

Wall Police will be participating in a national anti-drunken driving campaign beginning next month, authorities said.

The 2012 “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign is scheduled to begin August 17 and run through September 3, according to a release from the township police.

Local, state police will be conducting sobriety checkpoints and roving patrols looking for intoxicated drivers, the release says.

The program is a concentrated national effort, hoping 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 the release.

Launched nationally in 1999, the program tries to combat drunk driving during some of the busiest travel times of the year, including the Labor Day holiday.

“Many people believe that after a few drinks they’re still safe to drive,” said Gary Poedubicky, acting director of the Division of Highway Traffic Safety, in the release.  “Even one drink can impair your judgment and reaction time, putting not only yourself, but everyone on the road, in danger.”  

In 2010 alcohol-impaired fatalities accounted for 20 percent of New Jersey’s motor vehicle fatalities. 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, the release says.