Spring Lake Police Taking Part In Statewide DWI Crackdown

SPRING LAKE, NJ — Spring Lake Borough police will have extra patrols looking for drivers impaired by drugs or alcohol on the roads starting Friday through New Year's Day.

The police department received a grant of $5,500 to pay for the extra patrols as part of the annual end-of-year "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" statewide campaign.

The national "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" effort aims to raise awareness about the dangers of impaired driving through a combination of high-visibility enforcement and public education, state officials say.

During the last five years New Jersey has experienced nearly 37,000 alcohol involved crashes resulting in more than 679 fatalities.

Last year, 20 percent of all motor vehicle fatalities in New Jersey were alcohol-related. Nationally, 10,511 people died in 2018 in drunk driving crashes. The societal cost associated with these crashes is estimated to be $44 billion annually, state officials say.

Law enforcement agencies participating in the "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over 2019 Year End Holiday Crackdown" offer the following advice for the holiday season:

• 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.

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