Full Notification

The South Brunswick Police Department in coordination with the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office will be conducting a sobriety checkpoint on the night of Saturday May 4th, on Route 1. Chief Raymond Hayducka said, “The checkpoint is part of our ongoing efforts to make our roads safer and reduce crashes attributed to driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. We believe by raising awareness of our efforts and educating the public of the dangers we can reduce impaired driving.”  In the first four months of the year, 32 people have been arrested for driving while impaired and 8 motor vehicle crashes have been attributed to impaired driving in the Township.

Police will be looking for signs of impairment due to alcohol or drugs. If you plan on drinking, make plans in advance to have a designated driver or use a ride share service like Uber or Lyft. If you are arrested for DUI and it is your first offense, the penalties will include a driver’s license suspension of 3 to 12 months; fines and fees of approximately $750 to $1,000; up to 30 days in jail; up to 48 hours of driver instruction at the Intoxicated Driver Resource Center (IDRC) and a $1,000 per year surcharge for three years.

The danger from driving impaired goes way beyond the financial costs and driver’s license suspension – it’s about risking lives. Every day, almost 30 people in the United States die in impaired driving crashes—that's one person every 48 minutes in 2017. These deaths have fallen by a third in the last three decades; however, impaired driving crashes claim more than 10,000 lives per year. It’s not worth the risk of hurting or killing yourself, a friend, a loved one, or innocent motorist.

While the checkpoint is one aspect of our efforts, we will continue with increased patrols and greater awareness efforts as prom and graduation season picks up over the next five weeks.