Somerset County Steps Up Drunk Driving Enforcement For Holidays

SOMERSET COUNTY, NJ — The holiday season is here but before you get too merry, the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office is reminding locals to drive sober or get pulled over.

“I want to remind drivers that law enforcement will be out in full force to thwart impaired driving crashes,” Sheriff Frank J. Provenzano said.

Somerset County Sheriff’s Officers will be cracking down on impaired drivers as part of the statewide “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign.

Beginning Nov. 23 and running through the New Year, local and state law enforcement officers will conduct sobriety checkpoints and roving patrols, looking for motorists who may be driving while impaired.

Local restaurants in the area are with the Sheriff's Office to promote the “John R. Elliott HERO Campaign for Designated Drivers” and “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.”

Restaurants such as Verve in Somerville and Big Heads Pub in Hillsborough, as well as car dealerships Bridgewater Lexus, BMW of Bridgewater, Open Road Volkswagen and Open Road Mercedes Auto Group, are handing out HERO Campaign brochures and magnets.

Bill and Muriel Elliott started the HERO Campaign for Designated Drivers in memory of their son, U.S. Navy Ensign John R. Elliott, who was killed in a collision with a drunk driver in July 2000. While at the U.S. Naval Academy, Ensign Elliott was selected as a Human Education Resource Officer (HERO) to counsel and mentor other members of his company and was named “the outstanding HERO” of his graduating class. He was killed two months after graduating from the academy.

“Impaired driving is completely preventable,” said Provenzano. “All it takes is a little planning. We want the public to remember that it’s a choice. Drink responsibly or drive sober – these are good choices. We want to keep people from making a poor choice that harms others and themselves.”

For more information about the HERO Campaign, visit www.herocampaign.org or contact Sheriff’s Officer Nick Fazio at 908-231-7140, ext. 9, or Fazio@co.somerset.nj.us or Lt. Steve SanAntonio at 908-231-7168.

(Image via Shutterstock)

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