NJ DUI Checkpoints/Patrols For Thanksgiving Weekend

Expect heavier-than-usual patrols this Thanksgiving weekend since police say they're ready to clamp down on intoxicated driving during the busy holiday stretch.

A number of New Jersey law enforcement authorities have announced extra patrols on their local streets and highways for Wednesday through Sunday, and some have announced plans to station checkpoints.

Most, however, did not offer any hint as to where those extra patrols and checkpoints will be specifically located. But they did make clear that clear that maintaining road safety is key since more than 1 million New Jerseyans are expected to take to the road during the weekend.

From 2012 to 2016, more than 800 people died in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes during the Thanksgiving holiday period across the country, "making it the deadliest holiday on our roads," Aberdeen Police Chief John Powers saod in a release.

"The Wednesday night before Thanksgiving is a cultural phenomenon called Thanksgiving Eve, an evening associated with drinking and a big night for bars," said Powers.

Here is a list of places that will be undertaking checkpoints and employing increased patrols, and a map that shows where they will be located:

• 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 officers as part of a DWI Saturation Patrol during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Nine of the departments were awarded grants from the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety of $11,000 each to conduct saturation patrols over the next twelve months.
• Authorities will have numerous drunk driving/traffic enforcement checkpoints and roving patrols throughout Ocean County searching for impaired drivers. Read more here...
• The Newark Department of Public Safety announced that local police will be deployed throughout the city during the 2017 holiday season as part of a DWI enforcement operation. Read more here...
• The Monmouth County DWI Task Force will be conducting a checkpoint looking for drivers who are under the influence of alcohol or drugs, authorities said. The checkpoint will run from 11 p.m. Wednesday through 3 a.m. Thursday, on the northbound side of Route 9 in Howell, said Brielle Police Chief Michael W. Palmer, task force coordinator. Read more here...
• Springfield Police will be cracking down on drunk and impaired drivers for the Thanksgiving holiday.
  Extra officers will be on patrol Wednesday night targeting impaired drivers. Read more here...
• Authorities in Somerset County will be cracking down on drunk and impaired drivers during the upcoming holiday season. The Somerset County Sheriff's Office joins the statewide "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" campaign, that begins Wednesday through New Year's Day. Read more here...

Patch file photo