Eatontown Drunk Driving Crackdown To Begin Aug. 16

The Eatontown Police Department will be cracking down on drunk drivers as part of the 2013 Labor Day Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign.  

The crackdown will begin on Friday, Aug. 16 and run through Sept. 2 in the borough. Local and state police officers will conduct sobriety checkpoints and roving patrols, looking for motorists who may be driving while intoxicated.

Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over is a national campaign designed 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, a release from the Eatontown Police stated.

“Recent surveys indicate that many people harbor the dangerous belief that after a few drinks they’re still safe to drive,” said Gary Poedubicky, Acting Director of the Division of Highway Traffic Safety.  “Even one drink can impair your judgment and reaction time, putting not only yourself, but everyone on the road, in danger.”  

Alcohol-impaired fatalities accounted for 19 percent of the state's motor vehicle fatalities in 2012. 

Police participating in the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over 2013 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.

• Always buckle up, every ride, regardless of your seating position in the vehicle.  It’s your best defense against an impaired driver.

• If you’re 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.