Prom Season DWI Checkpoints Coming To Middlesex County

MIDDLESEX COUNTY, NJ - It'll soon be prom and graduation season and the Middlesex County prosecutor's office said they will have more police patrols on the roads in the coming weeks, looking out for drunk or buzzed driving.

Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew Carey said Friday that police will be setting up sobriety checkpoints around the county as part of a program to ensure the safety of high school students during their prom and graduation ceremonies. The program is being operated by the municipal police departments in the county and the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Crash Investigations Unit.

The sobriety checkpoints will be set up randomly through the end of June to apprehend impaired drivers, the prosecutor said.

While there have been numerous arrests for impaired driving over the years, no students have been killed or injured in crashes or arrested on charges of driving while intoxicated during the prom and graduation season.

Teens: If you are caught driving drunk or buzzed, and it's your first time, you could lose your driving privileges for at least seven months and face a variety of fines, insurance surcharges and legal fees that could total as much as $15,000.

The purpose of the checkpoints is to remove intoxicated drivers from the street; to educate the public about the dangers of drinking and driving and drugged driving, and to deter people from getting behind the wheel after using alcohol or drugs.

The overall goal is to promote the safety of the motoring public and to ensure that prom and graduation celebrants arrive home safely.