The NJ Attorney General announces the results of recent crackdown on NJ drunk driving (DUI-DWI)
Oct 30th, 2007 | By Michael L. Saile, Jr., Esq. | Category: Blogs, Criminal & Traffic, DUI-DWI-DAI (Drunk Driving)During an initiative, which ran from August 17 through September 3, 2007, police agencies throughout the state conducted saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints as part of a national initiative designed to combat drunk driving during one of the busiest travel times of the year.
A record 96 percent of New Jersey law enforcement agencies participated in this summer’s two week “Over the Limit, Under Arrest” drunk driving crackdown, which resulted in 1,655 DUI arrests, Division of Highway Traffic Safety Director Pam Fischer announced today.
Fischer noted that arrests during the two-week period were down from 2006, when 1,721 individuals were cited for drunk driving. Overall participation in the initiative increased from 391 participating police agencies in 2006 to 473 in 2007.
Fischer noted that 770 people died in traffic crashes on New Jersey’s roadways in 2006, and 627 of those individuals were tested for alcohol. Of that number, 240 tested positive for alcohol in varying degrees, indicating that approximately 38 percent of the fatalities involved some level of alcohol consumption.
Launched nationally in 1999, the program works to combat drunk driving at various high volume traffic times throughout the year. As part of this initiative, the State Division of Highway Traffic Safety provided grants of $5,000 each to 186 local law enforcement agencies. The New Jersey State Police also participated in the effort. The remaining police departments conducted the program using their own resources.See the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety Crackdown Report titled “Results of “Over the Limit, Under Arrest ’07 Crackdown” here: Crackdown Report.pdf
Will taking drunk drivers off the road really solve this major drunk driving problem in PA and NJ and all over the country? Do we need other forms of deterrence like education? What ideas do you have to fix this ongoing problem?
The author of this Law Blog, Bucks County PA & Mercer County, NJ criminal attorney, Michael L. Saile, Jr., Esq. of Saile & Saile LLP, Attorneys-at-Law practices both New Jersey and Pennsylvania criminal, traffic violations, and DUI/DWI/DAI law. Check out our website for DUI penalties. We handle all NJ Municipal Court cases including DUI in the following NJ Municipal Courts: Hopewell Township, Ewing Township, Trenton, Lawrence Township, Hamilton, Pennington, and other Mercer County, Burlington County, and Camden County, NJ courts. We also handle lower bucks county DUI and traffic violation cases in the following towns: Bensalem, Southampton, Richboro, Newtown, Levittown, Langhorne, Doylestown, Warminster, Trevose, Feasterville, Warrington, Bristol, Fallsington, Morrisville, Yardley, New Hope, Holland, Washington Crossing, PA, and other Bucks County courts. We handle DUI cases in Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery County, PA. We are located just outside of Philadelphia in lower Bucks County.
The idea you stated on her eis the best idea of all. All cars to be equipped with the breath innterlock system.
That would end all DUI stops, prosecutions, and evetything related to DUI. It would stop all DUI 100 percent!
Do not for a minute think this is what they want. DUI is a huge money maker. The last thing the State wants is to end DUI!
Here i go…
One thing the State could do is to make a consumer available interlock system available to the public… whereby, legaly, if the person has this in the car, operating, the person can in no way be subject to a DUI charge!
Make it volunatary! if the voluntARY PROGRAM WORKS OVER SEVERAL YEARS, AND CAR MANUFACTURERS START OFFERING IT AS AN OPTION ON NEW CARS, AFTER SEVERAL YEARS, WE CAN MAKE IT MANDATORY!
we ALL KNOW, AS IN MY dui CASE, SOMETIMES A dui CHARGE IS WRONG!
nOT gUILKTY PEOPLE ARE CHARGED WITH dui, PEOPLE WHOS ACTUAL REAL BAC ARE BELOW 0.08, ARE CHARGED, AND EVEN CONVICTED OF DUI.
A STATUTE LIKE THIS WOULD ALMOST ELIMINATE WRONGFUL DUI CHARGES!
FOR ARGUMENTS SAKE, … a person could go to the mall, shop, stop in ruby tuesdays, have several drinks, go to his car, blow into a voluntary interlocvk system, and not be able to start the car until his bac is below the limit.
Perfect.
Can their be a better system?
A person could sit in his car, blitzed out of his gord, and not be prosectued for DUI because of the interlock system he has in the car.
There coiuldnt be a more beautiful solution!
The Special Master’s report was due to the Supreme Court on October 26, then it was pushed back to Nov 2nd, then it was pushed back to Nov 7.
It is now November 9th and we still do not have a copy of the report, any press coverage, or a summary of the findings from any point of view.
If Judge King did not submit the report on October 26, 2007, could he not be held in contempt of court?
When Judge King’s report of last feb was submitted, it was immediatley picked up by the press and various websites for comment and release.
Having spent a lot of time reading what was written about the report, i found that people were bascialy divided about what it said. Some thought it said the Al;cotest was reliable, and others thought the same report said it was not reliable.
Do you think this is why the latest report has not been in the press, that the Supreme Court is preventing people from seeing it?, preventing any leak at all, from any side?
It is not a top secret government defense plan!
It is only a Judge’s summary of the hearings and his opinion.
Should this not be available for public review?
Do we live in communist China or North Korea?
There must be at least 40,000 citizens in NJ , by now, charged with DUI that this report will affect.
Can a Class action lawsuit be started to force the Court to release Judge King’s report?
Is this report not public record, is there any kind of FREEDOM OF INFORMATION, in NJ?
As each day passes after the report was written, and the public can not view it, it looks more and more like a conspiracy is taking place.
Does it not?
Here is a quote I recieved form one of the defense attorneys:
“I think we kicked the living crap out of them in the Source Code Hearing. They had no reasonable rebuttal to our presentation. The question now is whether they (Judge King and the Supreme Court) will politically sweep all of this under the rug and find this piece of junk reliable. If they do, yours truly will be filing with the US Supreme Court.”
Mr. Saile,
you get credit for the scoup…
You are the first person to publish a comment or quote about the recent software hearings from any party.
Good thing you arent the press, and need a 2nd source.
You can rest assured this quote is an exact copy and paste from the attorney who sent it to me.
I am not into making things up, and i’m glad you reconized that and published the quote on this site.
Jim. I do not want any credit for anything. I do not know if what you say or state in your blog entries is true and correct, nor do i attest or claim that its the truth. I am not a news service and I do not check any sources. I do not give any specific advice to anyone unless they are my specific client and have signed a fee agreement with my law firm.
This law blog is just a sounding board for peoples ideas and an informational blog so that people can learn and communicate with each other about different areas of PA and NJ DUI-DWI and personal injury law in hopes that the law can be improved for the citizens.
Imagine, 1655 DUI Arrests in NJ over a 2 week period of time.
Multiply that by 26, you will have 43,030 people arrested for DUI in NJ in one year.
Even knowing that probably at least half are below 0.08% BAC in , how would i call it, the truth of the universe”, it is just the tip of the iceberg.
I would venture to say at least 43,000 people a day in NJ operate a motar vehicle at 0,08 % BAC or above on any given day, let alone in a year.
We all know the truth here.
Lets talk about the NJ Municiapl Couyrt Judge for a minute, who was recently arrested for having a BAC of 0.22%, almost 2 times the limit…
I am sure this Judge has presided over many DUI cases and handed down sentences for DUI defendants…
This Judge , although is now ordered to remove himself form all DUI and carless driving cases in his Court, is still allowed to judge all other cases in the court…
Does this Judge have have good Judgement?
It is not poor judgemnt to drive with a high BAC?
Ok, lets say he is innocnet… and he very well may be, because he was tested on the alcotest…
If I am convicted of DUI, I am sure, as i sit here today, i wouldnt be able to get a job at macdinalds , let alone as a analytical chemist.
Is there a double standard here?
Why should he be allowed to kepp his job, especialy a job where judgement over people’s freedom is his job?
Mr. Saile, OK, but all I am saying is, you are the first person in the world to publish a quote coming out of the software hearings, thats all.
I am just letting you know, it is a true quote! Not to worry.
i can forward the email to you if you would like, so you did have first hand knowledge of its truth
I AM NOT ASKING FOR SPECIFIC ADVICE…
I put the quote on here for a few reasons..
One, and most important, because the average person has no news coverage to read about what went on in the hearings to date.
I think it is important people are informed, and that is exactly what this site is about
Two, the secrecy regarding the software hearings is unbearable to me, and I personaly feel that is wrong.
Three, this particular attorney really pissed me off and violated the RPC, and got me in big trouble with my own attorney…. wheather he wanted to make a public comment or not, he certainly did comment to me.
I got court coming up on wednesday, and there is no way I can make an informed decision on how to proceed without Judge King’s report availble for my review!
Although, i am preety good at throwing caution to the wind and making decisions that I know are RIGHT!
Mr. Saile, do you not find it ironic and wrong, that the Chun defense team faught hard to get the “secret” software code, but every party, including the defense, is keeping the hearing concerning the software secret?
It doesnt make sense.
conspiracy?
THERE SHOULD BE A MILLION PEOPLE STORMING TRENTON , DEMANDING TO KNOW JUDGE KINGS REPORT, ….
AMERICANS WON ONE REVOLUTION WITH PITCHFORKS AND MUSKETS …
we should not allow out government to become secretive on matters like this.
Judge King’s report was due on Ocotber 26th to the NJ Supreme Court, as the Court ordered….
Can a citizen initiate contempt of court charges against king for not having htis report to the supremem court? it is now 17 days late.
I thinkk King should spend one day in jail for each day he is late with the report!
Does the NJ Supreme Court have any backbone at all?
Do theie orders mean anything at all?