State Police, Drive Sober, NJ

The summer is winding down but the New Jersey State Police are just gearing up for their annual "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" campaign.

Beginning this weekend and running until September 1, state and local police will be aggressively targeting drunk drivers as part of a nationwide effort to end drunk driving and save lives.

The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign will pair increased public awareness with high-visibility enforcement, hopefully resulting in fewer drunk drivers on New Jersey roadways.

Drivers caught drunk-driving will be arrested, which often leads to jail time, loss of license and fines and legal expenses averaging $10,000.

According to the state police, someone is killed in a drunk-driving crash every 51 minutes across the nation. Over Labor Day Weekend, fatalities increase to every 34 minutes with the most dangerous time to drive is between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Young drivers are especially at risk as they are overrepresented in drunk-driving crashes. In 2012, nearly half of young drivers in accidents—48 percent—had a blood alcohol content of .08 or higher. For drivers under 21, anything over .00 is illegal.

Colonel Rick Fuentes, superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, says drunk-driving is inexcusable.

"We’re hoping that New Jersey drivers get the message and take some simple steps to prevent a tragedy," says Fuentes. "There is always another way home."

The New Jersey State Police encourage drivers to plan a sober ride home—whether it’s with a friend, taxi or other means of public transportation—in order to avoid a tragedy.

For more information, visit www.njsp.org.

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