Written by Deborah M. Marko
The Daily Journal

VINELAND — To protect those on the road, the city police department warns it will be cracking down on drunken drivers during the holiday season.

Starting today, the Vineland Police Department will join the statewide “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign, according to Sgt. Peter D’Arrigo, who heads the traffic safety unit.

Through Jan. 2, 2013, the department will have additional patrols as well as sobriety checkpoints on the road looking for motorists who may be driving under the influence.

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, D’Arrigo said.

Launched nationally in 1999, the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” program works to combat drunken driving during some of the busiest travel times of the year. This year, the Vineland Police Department was arrested a $4,400 New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety grant to conduct the campaign.

And people may be getting the message.

As of Nov. 29, Vineland police officers wrote 198 summonses for driving while intoxicated this year, according to Sgt. Charles Garrison.

For that same period in 2011, the department issued 288 driving while intoxicated tickets.

Garrison credited the ticket decrease to increased public awareness.

Last year in New Jersey, 152 people were killed as a result of alcohol-impaired crashes. That number represents 24 percent of the 627 traffic fatalities reported in the state in 2011.

Young adults are among those at greatest risk for driving impaired, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. During December 2010, drivers 21 to 34 years old were alcohol impaired and involved in fatal crashes at a higher percentage than any other age group.

Police recommend taking the following precautions to stay safe on the roads this holiday season:

• 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. In New Jersey, drivers may dial #77 on their cellphones to report a suspected drunken driver.

• Always buckle-up, every ride.

• 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.

Motorists are also asked to subscribe to the pledge of the Ensign John R. Elliott HERO Campaign for Designated Drivers: Drive sober, be a designated driver and don’t let friends drive drunk.

In 2000, Elliott was on his way home to Egg Harbor Township for his mother’s birthday when he was struck and killed by a drunken driver, who had been arrested on a driving while intoxicated charge, released and got back behind the wheel.

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