DHTS Acting Director Gary Poedubicky said that 165 police departments will receive grants of $7,500 each that pay for saturation patrols and high-visibility sobriety checkpoints throughout the state. Approximately 200 more agencies are expected to participate unfunded. During last year’s corresponding campaign, 144 departments received the grant.

“Many people will be out during this busy holiday season, enjoying themselves and the holiday festivities, and we want everyone to be safe on our roadways,” Poedubicky said. “That’s why we will be stepping up enforcement to catch and arrest impaired drivers. If you are caught drinking and driving impaired, you will be arrested. No warnings. No excuses.”

In New Jersey, a person is guilty of drunk driving if he or she operates a motor vehicle with a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of .08 percent or greater. Although the law refers to a .08 percent BAC, you can be convicted of driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor even when your BAC is below 0.08 percent. Consuming even small amounts of alcohol dulls the senses, decreases reaction time, and hampers judgment, vision and alertness. If you consume any amount of alcohol and your driving is negatively impacted, you can be convicted of drunk driving.

Poedubicky said the penalties for a first DWI arrest include a fine of up to $500 and a one-year driver’s license suspension. Violators can also expect auto insurance surcharges of several thousand dollars.

The “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Campaign” is nationwide in scope because impaired driving affects all 50 states. The facts are grim: in the United States in December 2012 there were 830 people killed in crashes involving at least one driver or motorcycle operator with a BAC of .08 or higher; 26 of those deaths occurred on Christmas Day. On average, a third (31%) of all crash fatalities in America involves drunk driving. But on Christmas day 2012, the percentage jumped to 36 percent.

“Drunk driving isn’t a victimless crime. You could kill yourself or someone else and face severe legal penalties,” Poedubicky said. “It might not take as much alcohol as you think to get there. So the safest approach is to only drive sober. If you plan on drinking at a holiday party, bar, or restaurant, let someone else do the driving – a sober friend, a taxi or public transportation.”

In the winter of 2013, the holiday crackdowns in New Jersey resulted in 1,575 Driving While Intoxicated arrests. In addition, participating police agencies issued 4,728 speeding summonses and 3,269 seat belt summonses, and more than 2,043 fugitives were apprehended during the mobilization.

The Division of Highway Traffic Safety offers the following advice to ensure a safe holiday travel season for those who choose to drink alcohol:

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

• Spend the night rather than get behind the wheel.

• 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 or escort you to your doorstep.

A list of police agencies receiving mobilization grants is available on the Division’s web site, at www.nj.gov/oag/hts/downloads/DSOGPO_12-2014-2015_Grant_Recipients.pdf.

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