New Jersey Criminal Defense Blog

The Governors Highway Safety Administration announced in a report on August 19, 2009 that multiple states will be participating in the national “Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest.” program. The program aims to better regulate drunk driving during the Labor Day holiday period, discouraging vacationers from driving under the influence and posing serious risk to all other motorists on the road. Law enforcement will begin their concentrated effort on August 21 and end on September 7 to help combat what is often referred to as our nation’s most fatal crime, with 11,000 alcohol-impaired deaths having occurred in 2008.

Given that August and September are considered the most deadly periods on the road by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, saturation patrols, sobriety checkpoints, a $13 million national media campaign, and state-funded advertising will all contribute to the drunk driving crackdown.

One of the main focuses of the campaign’s awareness will be on female drivers, who have become a growing group of drivers arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. New Jersey is among one of many states that has noticed this trend. In examining 56% of the country, the amount of women arrested for DUI was 28.8 percent higher in 2007 than in 1998, while the number of men arrested actually experienced a 7.5% decrease.