Cops: 'Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over'
Hopatcong Police participate in annual statewide campaign starting Friday.
Hopatcong Police will be cracking down on drunk drivers for the annual holiday season “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” statewide campaign starting on Friday, according to a report released by Lt. Thomas Kmetz.
The campaign will run until Jan. 2, where both local and state law enforcement officials will conduct saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints looking for drivers who may be driving under the influence, the report said.
The campaign, launched in 1999, will raise awareness of the dangers of drunk driving during one of the busiest travel times of the year by displaying posters, banners and other signs through public education tools.
According to the report, 152 people were killed in the state last year from alcohol-impaired crashes. Those accidents account for about 25 percent of the 627 traffic fatalities reported from 2011.
Law enforcement agencies participating in the Drive Sober or Get Pulled campaign offer the following advice:
- 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. In New Jersey, drivers may dial #77 on their cell phones to report a drunk driver.
- Always buckle-up, every ride. It’s your best defense against an impaired driver.
- If you’re 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.
Police also ask motorists to subscribe to the pledge of the Ensign John R. Elliot HERO Campaign for Designated Drivers: Drive sober, be a designated driver and don’t let friends drive drunk.
The effort brings local businesses, community groups, law enforcement agencies, and schools together to combat drunk driving.
The campaign started in the state by the Elliot family, who lost their son, John, in a head-on collision with a drunk driver.
Joeysguy
9:32 am on Tuesday, December 4, 2012
At what cost
By Joeysguy
If you are going to a bar
Save lives, don’t drive your car
At what cost for that drink
Before you take it, stop and think
Just a bad choice that you could make
That bad choice will put lives at stake
With a life, someone could pay
The loss of life for your drunken day
Don’t use your seatbelt on your drunken day
Why should you live to walk away
So I ask, at what cost will that drink be
Just a few dollars to destroy a family
If you live you will go to jail
Tell your kids where to send your mail
Driving drunk the cops will pull you over
Hopefully before you kill, so drive sober
P/S, Lets not forget about cell phone texts
While driving you could kill and cause wrecks
BeachBum
9:32 am on Tuesday, December 4, 2012
I agree with this program, although the threatening electronic sign is a bit too much and very tacky for any town, just shows that there is a large problem within the town for the said crime - Tone it down Hopatcong
Jessica
4:44 pm on Tuesday, December 4, 2012
What you don't like the giant flashing sign? While this is a good thing, why are they making the announcement that they are cracking down on drunk drivers for the holiday? Shouldn't not driving drunk be an everyday thing and not just something you crack down on at certain times of the year?
Tammy
6:21 pm on Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Hi Jessica-I can't speak for other towns but Hopatcong cracks down on it EVERY day. Hopatcong has a reputation for being tough on drunk drivers. I can't tell you how many of my friends either cab it when drinking in Hopatcong or just don't drink in Hopatcong at all. As for letting it be known about the "crack down" I'm pretty sure it's because they legally have to.
jazzman
10:46 pm on Tuesday, December 4, 2012
as i recall john Elliot was killed by a drunk driver who after being arrested he was allowed to leave the drunk tank then taken to his car by a friend and then drove drunk again killing Ensign John R Elliot and himself...what we should take away from this story is leave them in jail till the breathlizer reading is normal
Frazure
11:02 am on Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Drinking is just more prevalent during the holidays, so a flashing reminder not to combine drinking and driving may be tacky, but if even causes drivers to think twice and choose an alternative to drunk driving, it served its purpose. It's not against the law to drink liquor, but combining it with operating a motor vehicle is. Here's wishing a safe and happy Christmas season to all.
Barney
11:03 am on Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Challenge accepted!
speedyspeed
5:21 pm on Wednesday, December 5, 2012
If you crash into me, you better be ready to law suit up!