Police Caution Motorists: 'Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over'

have a warning: If you drink and drive and get caught, expect trouble with the law. And the likelihood you'll get caught is especially high thanks to a late-summer enforcement effort.

The department is part of a national summer campaign called “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.” As part of the plan, through Sept. 3, local and state law enforcement officers will conduct sobriety checkpoints and roving patrols to find motorists who may be driving while intoxicated.

Through the use of high-visibility enforcement and educational tools including posters, banners and mobile video display signs, police want to raise awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving.

The summer campaign, launched nationally in 1999, hopes to combat drunk driving during some of the busiest travel times of the year, including the Labor Day holiday period.

“Many people believe 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 2010 alcohol-impaired fatalities accounted for 20 percent of New Jersey’s motor vehicle fatalities. As partof the initiative, the Division of Highway Traffic Safety provides grants to local law enforcement agencies throughout the state to run the yearly summer campaign.

Parsippany Police offers the following tips to avoid alcohol-related trouble:

• If you plan to drink, designate a driver, someone who will not drink alcohol, before going out.
• Take mass transit or 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 by dialing #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.