Vernon police join crackdown on drunk drivers

Vernon — Vernon Township Police will be cracking down on drunk drivers as part of the annual holiday season “Over the Limit, Under Arrest” campaign, which began Dec. 7 and runs through Jan. 3, 2010. During the campaign, local and state law enforcement officials will conduct saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints, looking for motorists who are driving under the influence, Vernon Police report. A concentrated national effort, the campaign helps to raise awareness of drinking and driving through high-visibility enforcement and public education, including posters, banners and mobile video display signs. Launched nationally in 1999, the program works to combat drunk driving during some of the busiest travel times of the year. “This is a critical law enforcement program that can save lived during a time of year when impaired driving traditionally increases by nearly 10 percent,” said Pam Fischer, director of the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety. “This initiative brings attention to not only the serious fines and penalties drunk drivers can face, but the grave danger these motorists pose to all individuals on the road.” Impaired drivers kill nearly 18,000 people on the nation’s roadways each year. In 2008, 152 people were killed as a result of alcohol related crashes in New Jersey alone. That number represents 26 percent of the 590 traffic fatalities reported in the state. Law enforcement agencies participating in the Over the Limit, Under Arrest 2009 Holiday Crackdown offer the following advice: If you plan to drink, designate a driver, someone who will not drink so they’re sober to drive. Take mass transit, a taxicab, 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 dial #77 to report a drunk driver. Always buckle up, every ride. It’s your best defense against an impaired driver.