From December 7th, 2007 through January 2, 2008 law enforcement officers from the Lakewood PD will be stepping up impaired driving enforcement as part of New Jerseys’ Over the Limit Under Arrest 2007 Year End Crackdown.

The holiday season is traditionally a time for social gatherings, which often include alcohol. The goal of the program is to raise awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving through high-visibility enforcement, and to  arrest motorists who choose to drive while impaired by drugs or alcohol.

Impaired drivers kill nearly 18,000 people on our nation’s roads each year. In New Jersey for 2005, 252 of the 748 motor vehicle fatalities, or 34% were alcohol-related. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that nearly 97 percent of Americans view drinking and driving by others as a threat to their families and themselves. Indeed, Americans support tougher enforcement and rank drunk driving ahead of healthcare, poverty, the environment and gun control as an important social issue.

Law enforcement agencies participating in the Over the Limit Under Arrest 2007 Year End Crackdown offer the following advice:

Be responsible and don’t risk it…you will be caught.

If you plan to drink, choose a designated driver before going out.

Realize before going out that every drink you have makes it more difficult to know when you’ve had too much to drive.

Take mass transit, a taxicab, or ask a sober friend to drive you home.

Spend the night where the activity is held.

Report impaired drivers to law enforcement.

Always buckle up – it’s your best defense against an impaired driver.

“The holiday season is a time of joy, not tragedy,”  said Pam Fischer, Director of the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety “The law enforcement community and safety organizations of the state are committed to eliminating impaired driving from our roads.”

(Lakewood Police Department Press Release)