Crime & Safety
Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over
Scotch Plains Police to participate in the nationwide campaign to combat drunk driving.
11,000 people die on the road every year due to accidents caused by drunk driving, the National Highway Traffic Safety Association reports. The NHTSA began the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign to curb “this deadly epidemic” noting that police in every state and most towns and cities are cracking down on drunk drivers “and they’ll see you before you see them.”
Police Chief Brian Mahoney stated that beginning December 5 through January 2, 2012, the Scotch Plains Police Department will be taking part in the statewide Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign to help combat drunk driving during the busiest travel time of the year.
The Scotch Plains Police Department noted that 168 people were killed as a result of alcohol-related crashes last year in New Jersey.
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“That number represents 30 percent of the 556 traffic fatalities reported in the state in 2010,” Mahoney stated. “Local and state law enforcement officials will conduct saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints looking for motorists who may be driving while intoxicated,” the Chief explained.
Chief Mahoney offered the following tips for safe travel:
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- After consuming alcohol, utilize mass transit, take a taxicab, or ask a sober friend to drive you home.
- Arrange to spend the night where the activity occurred.
- If you see a drunk driver on the road, dial #77 to report the incident.
- Chief Mahoney reminded drivers to “always buckle up. It’s your best dense against an impaired driver.”
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