State's Drunk Driving Crackdown To Occur Locally

Partying this weekend? Call a cab.

Hillsborough Police Chief Paul Kaminsky announces that local patrols will be cracking down on impaired drivers as part of this summer’s “Over the Limit, Under Arrest” statewide campaign.

Beginning Aug. 19 and running through Sept. 5, local and state law enforcement agencies will be conducting sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols to find motorist who may be driving while intoxicated.

The program goal is to raise awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving through high-visibility enforcement, while also charging motorists who choose to drive while impaired.

According to state statistics from 2009, 149 people were killed as a result of alcohol-related crashes in New Jersey. The number represents 25 percent of the 583 traffic fatalities in the state that year, according to the release.

The Hillsborough Police offer the following advice to drivers:

• If you plan to drunk, designate a driver who will not drink alcohol before going out.
• Take mass transit, a taxi or ask a sober friend to drive you home
• Spend the night where the activity is being held
• Report impaired drivers to law enforcement. In New Jersey, drivers may dial #77 on their cell phones to report an impaired driver.
• Always buckle up—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 local taxi companies can be found .