DWI Checkpoint In Union County This Weekend

At least one DWI checkpoint will be held in Union County this weekend, police said.

A DWI checkpoint will be held very early Sunday, from 12 midnight to 5 a.m. The checkpoint will be conducted on Route 82 westbound, in the area of Route 22, according to Union Township police.

Law enforcement officials from Union will be cracking down on drunk drivers as part of the summertime “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign. Beginning Sunday and continuing through Labor Day, local law enforcement officials will conduct saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints looking for motorists who may be driving while intoxicated, police said.

The national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” effort endeavors to raise awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving through a combination of high-visibility enforcement and public education, police said.

“This is a critical law enforcement program that can save lives during a time of the year when impaired driving traditionally increases by nearly 10 percent,” said Police Director Daniel Zieser. “This initiative brings attention to the serious consequences of drunk driving and the grave danger those who choose to drink and drive pose to all who share the road with them.”

Last year, 22 percent of all motor vehicle fatalities in New Jersey were alcohol-related. Nationally, more than 10,000 people die each year in drunk driving crashes. The societal cost associated with drunk driving crashes is estimated to be $37 billion annually, police said.

Law enforcement agencies participating in the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over offer the following advice:

• Take mass transit, a taxicab, or ask a sober friend to drive you home.
• Spend the night where the activity or party is held.
• If you see an impaired driver on the road, contact law enforcement. Your actions may save someone’s life, and inaction could cost a life.
• Always buckle-up, every ride. It’s your best defense against an impaired driver.
• If you are 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 or escort you to your doorstep.
• Be responsible. If someone you know is drinking, do not let that person get behind the wheel.