Impaired Driving Crackdown Coming To Galloway

GALLOWAY, NJ — "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over." That's the message Galloway police are sending with their end-of-summer impaired driving campaign.

Beginning Aug. 19 and continuing through Sept. 5, the statewide campaign cracks down on drivers impaired by alcohol or drugs as local and state law enforcement officials conduct saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints looking for motorists who may be driving while intoxicated.

“During the last five years New Jersey has experienced more than 33,000 alcohol involved crashes resulting in 662 fatalities," Galloway police said. “This is a critical law enforcement program that can save lives, especially in light of recent dramatic increases in motor vehicle fatality rates both nationally and in New Jersey.”

Last year, 23 percent of all motor vehicle fatalities in New Jersey were alcohol-related, officials said. Nationally, 11,654 people died in 2020 in drunk driving crashes, according to officials, and the societal cost associated with these crashes is estimated to be $44 billion annually.

Officials offered these tips instead of driving intoxicated.

• Take mass transit, a taxicab or rideshare, 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 or using drugs, do not let that person get behind the wheel.