Morristown Gets Grant To Combat Holiday Drunk Driving

MORRISTOWN, NJ — Don't drive drunk, no matter the time of year. But those making the bad decision in Morristown may have a greater chance of getting caught this month.

Morristown and 111 other New Jersey towns will participate in the annual "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" campaign, which runs from Friday through Jan. 1. The state Division of Highway Traffic Safety awarded grants totaling $656,340 to 112 towns across the state to fund enhanced patrolling and high-visibility sobriety checkpoints.

Several Morris County towns each received $6,000 — Morristown, Chester Township, Hanover, Jefferson, Parsippany-Troy Hills and Rockaway Township.

"This has been a year of tremendous loss for New Jersey residents impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and we are all feeling especially grateful for the loved ones with us this holiday season," said Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal. "Help ensure that everyone can safely celebrate this year by driving sober and unimpaired."

New Jersey's campaign is part of a nationwide effort to reduce crash risks during the holiday season. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ("NHTSA"), drunk driving crashes claim the lives of more than 10,000 people nationwide each year.

Of the 559 people killed in traffic crashes in New Jersey last year, nearly a quarter of them — 129 — lost their lives in crashes involving drunk drivers.

With reporting from Tom Davis and Russ Crespolini/Patch.

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