The Summit Police Department is participating in Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over, a year-end, statewide crackdown on impaired driving that will take place from December 7, 2018 through January 1, 2019.
The goal of the New Jersey state program is to encourage law enforcement agencies to raise public awareness about the dangers of alcohol-impaired driving through a combination of highly visible enforcement backed up by targeted media activities.
“Research shows that high-visibility enforcement can reduce alcohol-related crash fatalities by as much as 20 percent,” explains Traffic Lieutenant David L. Richel. “Beginning on December 7 and continuing through New Year’s Day, Summit Police will be conducting roving patrols to stop drivers who appear to be operating vehicles while impaired. We are committed to making Summit a safer community for all visitors, residents, and commuters.”
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that over a five year period, nearly 4,000 people were killed in the United States in the month of December in traffic crashes involving an impaired driver. In 2016 overall, 28 percent (10,497) of the 37,461 motor vehicle fatalities in the country were alcohol-related.
Richel continues: “No matter where you drive in the United States, it is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher. Please drink responsibly and join us in making Summit roadways free of impaired drivers.”
For more information on the Summit Police Department, the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over initiative or other traffic safety programs visit cityofsummit.org/police.