Extra Police Along Rt. 35/Rt. 36 for St. Patrick's Day Weekend

ABERDEEN TOWNSHIP, NJ - The Bayshore Task Force — comprised of police departments in Aberdeen, Atlantic Highlands, Hazlet, Holmdel, Highlands, Keyport, Keansburg, Matawan, Middletown and Union Beach — will be deploying extra officers on the roads as part of a DWI Saturation Patrol on Friday, March 17.

This is in addition to a targeted DWI checkpoint we already told you about on Rt. 9 north in Manalapan Friday night.

Tragically, March 17 has become one of the nation’s deadliest holidays. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, during the 2014 St. Patrick’s Day holiday period (6 p.m. March 16 to 5:59 a.m. March 18), 28 percent of all motor vehicle crash fatalities involved drunk drivers. The early hours of March 18 were even worse: Between midnight and 5:59 a.m., nearly half of all crash fatalities involved drunk drivers.

Here in Monmouth County, nine of the Bayshore departments were awarded grants from the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety of $10,000 each to conduct the saturation patrols Friday night. The remainder will use drunk driving enforcement funds.