Bedminster Is Cracking Down On DWI The Rest Of The Summer

BEDMINSTER, NJ — Police in Bedminster are cracking down on drunken driving for the rest of the summer.

The New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety has announced Bedminster is receiving a $2,640 grant as part of the national "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over initiative.

Law enforcement agencies across New Jersey got the funds to staff saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints during the campaign, which runs from Aug. 16 through Sept. 3, according to a DHTS news release.

Other Somerset County police departments that got grant money include: Green Brook, Branchburg, and Warren.

In 2017, driving while intoxicated — either under the influence of alcohol or drugs — was listed as the major contributing factor in more than 25 percent of the 591 fatal crashes that occurred on New Jersey roads that year. Those 158 alcohol/drug-related crashes killed 174 people.

"The risks of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol are enormous and the consequences are tragic," said Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal. "With rideshare apps and other forms of public transportation readily available, there's no excuse for anyone to get behind the wheel impaired."

During a five-year period between 2013 and 2017, 678 individuals were killed in alcohol-related crashes in the state.

"Impaired driving remains one of the biggest traffic safety threats in New Jersey and combating it is a year-round priority in our state," said Eric Heitmann, director of the Division of Highway Traffic Safety. "As we head into the final weeks of summer and the busy Labor Day driving weekend, our officers will be stepping up those efforts, working longer hours and increasing sobriety checks to keep intoxicated drivers off the road. If you're out there driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, the odds are we're going to stop you and arrest you."

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com