DWI Checkpoints Back in Hopatcong Friday

Hopatcong Borough Police want those celebrating the end of summer to do so responsibly, but just in case they are cracking down on drunk drivers as part of the 2013 Labor Day Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign. Beginning Aug. 16 and running through Sept. 2, local and state law enforcement officers will conduct sobriety checkpoints and roving patrols, looking for motorists who may be driving while intoxicated.

According to Hopatcong Police Chief Robert Brennan, officers will conduct sobriety checkpoints and roving patrols looking for motorists who may be driving while intoxicated.

During their last campaign at the end of last year, the checkpoints yielded 17 arrests and a staggering 100 plus summons. According to Lt. Thomas Kmetz, that program had a checkpoint set on Lakeside Boulevard and roving patrols throughout the borough that were also involved in the arrests and summonses.

During that run a Hopatcong man accused of burglarizing a Mendham Township home was arrested again after being caught with crack cocaine at a DWI checkpoint, Kmetz said.

 Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over is a national campaign designed to raise awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving through high-visibility enforcement and public education tools, including posters, banners and mobile video display signs. Launched across the U.S. in 1999, the program works to combat drunk driving during some of the busiest travel times of the year, including the Labor Day holiday period.

“Recent surveys indicate that many people harbor the dangerous belief that after a few drinks they’re still safe to drive,” said Gary Poedubicky, Acting Director of the Division of Highway Traffic Safety. “Even one drink can impair your judgment and reaction time, putting not only yourself, but everyone on the road, in danger.”  

In 2012 alcohol-impaired fatalities accounted for 19 percent of New Jersey’s motor vehicle fatalities. As part of the initiative, the Division of Highway Traffic Safety provides grants to local law enforcement agencies throughout the state to run the two-week campaign.

Law enforcement agencies participating in the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over 2013 crackdown offer the following advice:

·         If you plan to drink, designate a driver, someone who will not drink alcohol, before going out.

·         Take mass transit, a taxi 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 to report a drunk or aggressive driver.

·         Always buckle up, every ride, regardless of your seating position in the vehicle.  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 you to your doorstep.