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Released: 8/13/2008
DRPA Joins Statewide Effort to Crackdown on Impaired Driving
The Delaware River Port Authority’s Public Safety Department will be cracking down on drunk drivers as part of the Over the Limit Under Arrest 2008 Statewide Crackdown. Beginning August 15th and running through September 1st, DRPA officers will join local and state law enforcement officers to conduct sobriety checkpoints, looking for motorists who may be driving while under the influence of alcohol or narcotics.
A concentrated national effort, the campaign helps to raise awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving through high-visibility enforcement and public education tools, including posters, banners and mobile video display signs. Launched nationally in 1999, the program works to combat drunk driving during some of the busiest travel times of the year.
“All too often, innocent law abiding people suffer tragic consequences and the loss of loved ones due to a motorist who is driving while intoxicated. Because we are committed to providing safe travel for those who use our bridges, we’re intensifying enforcement during the crackdown,” said John J. Matheussen, Chief Executive Officer of DRPA and President of PATCO.
“DRPA officers will be aggressively looking for impaired drivers during the crackdown and will arrest anyone they find operating a motor vehicle while impaired,” says DRPA’s Acting Chief of Public Safety, Michael Joyce
Impaired drivers kill nearly 18,000 people on our nation’s roads each year. In 2007, 205 people were killed as a result of alcohol-related crashes on New Jersey highways. That number represents 28 percent of the 724 traffic fatalities reported in the state. In addition, 82 of those alcohol-related fatalities occurred during the summer travel season.
Law enforcement agencies participating in Over the Limit Under Arrest 2008 Crackdown offer the following advice:
•If you plan to drink, choose a designated driver before going out.
•Take mass transit, a taxicab, or ask a sober friend to drive you home.
•Spend the night where the activity is held.
•Report impaired drivers to law enforcement.
•Always buckle up, every ride. It’s your best defense against an impaired driver.
The national campaign is sponsored and funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The Delaware River Port Authority is a regional transportation agency. DRPA owns and operates the Benjamin Franklin, Walt Whitman, Commodore Barry and Betsy Ross bridges, PATCO, the Philadelphia Cruise Terminal and the RiverLink Ferry.
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