Cops begin annual campaign against drunk driving

Montclair law enforcement officials will be cracking down on drunk drivers as part of the annual holiday season "Over the Limit, Under Arrest" statewide campaign. Beginning Dec. 6, 2010 and running through Jan. 2, 2011, local and state law enforcement officials will conduct saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints looking for motorists who may be driving while intoxicated.

A concentrated national effort, the campaign helps 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 nationally in 1999, the program works to combat drink driving during some of the busiest travel times of the year.

"This is a critical law enforcement program that can save lives during a time of the year when impaired driving traditionally increases by nearly 10 percent," said Lt. Kenneth V. Miscia, Jr., Uniform/Traffic Bureau Commander. "This initiative brings attention to the serious consequences of drunk driving and the grave danger those who choose to drink and drive pose to all who share the road with them."

Last year in New Jersey, 185 people were killed as a result of alcohol-relates crashes. That number represents 31 percent of the 583 traffic fatalities reported in the state in 2009.

Law enforcement agencies participating in the Over the Limit, Under Arrest 2010 Holiday Crackdown offers 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.

Motorists are also asked 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. Under the effort, local business and community groups, law enforcement agencies, and schools work together to keep drunk drivers off the road. Started in New Jersey by the Elliot family following the tragic death of their son, John, in a head-on collision with a drunk driver, the campaign has become a national model for preventing drunk driving.

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