New Jersey DWI Lawyer Blog
It could be an indication that economy is bouncing back more and more, or it might be that the NY Giants pulled off a nail-biting performance during Super Bowl XLVI. Whatever the reason, apparently more people were “celebrating” the occasion last weekend than this same time in 2008. And to what or whom do we owe this information? Why the New Jersey State Police, who else?
As drunken driving defense attorneys representing those Garden State residents who have been accused of DWI, drug DUI and other charges of impaired driving, we certainly understand the correlation between sporting event and holiday celebrations and the rise or fall in drunk driving arrests. Here in New Jersey, where anti-DWI campaigns are common and state and local police agencies flood the roadways with drunken driving saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints, there should never be any surprise as to the number of DWI and DUI arrests during any particular period of time.
This is not to say that New Jersey is unique, but we do get our share of drivers hitting the road while under the influence of alcohol, prescription drugs and even illegal substances, such as marijuana, cocaine and meth-based drugs. Once charged by a state or municipal police officer, a driver typically must go before a judge to either defend himself against the charges or admit responsibility.
Naturally, it is rarely in anyone’s interest to plead guilty to a drunken driving citation, which means that contacting an experienced DWI defense lawyer is a good idea, if only to get the lay of the land and better understand one’s options before stepping into a courtroom. The monetary penalties alone, which can be quite expensive for the average person, are enough to make a person think twice before opting for a guilty plea.
In and around the state, people are stopped every day by police for traffic infractions. A percentage of those motorists can sometimes find themselves on the receiving end of a DWI summons. Apparently, many more people were arrested for DWI this past Super Bowl weekend than four years ago, which may say something about the number of drunk drivers or possibly about the level of enforcement.
According to news articles, New Jersey State Police officials reported nearly 100 DWI and DUI arrests during the last weekend; that’s nearly double the total logged by patrolmen back in 2008, when 51 drivers were taken into custody for operating a motor vehicle while under the influence. This nearly doubling of DWI arrests occurred despite warnings of increased drunken driving patrols scheduled for that weekend.
Based on police reports, the state police placed nearly 100 additional rolling patrols on Garden State roadways over the Super Bowl weekend. With 96 arrests, it would appear that half of those extra patrols caught one addition driver over 2008’s total of 51. These figures do not include any arrests made by local and municipal police officers. While local arrest figures were not available at the time of the news article, 2008 saw a total of 176 drivers arrested by both municipal and state police during Super Bowl Sunday.
According to reports, there was at least one drunk-driving-related fatal collision durning the enhanced enforcement period — an afternoon car crash in Middlesex County claimed on life, according to police; this can be compared to 2008, when NJ State Police officers handled four fatal crashes, though not one of those was alcohol-related.
New Jersey State Police report more DUI charges during this Super Bowl weekend, LehighValleyLive.com, February 06, 2012