Dear Editor:

In 2010, fatalities in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes accounted for 31 percent of all motor vehicle traffic fatalities.

If football fans plan on drinking during the Super Bowl, designating a sober driver can help increase the chance of avoiding an alcohol-impaired-driving crash. Alcohol-impaired driving is no accident nor is it a victimless crime. 10,228 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2010 in which an impaired driver or motorcycle rider had a blood alcohol concentration of .08 grams per deciliter or higher.

There are just too many drivers out there who believe that having just a few drinks and getting behind the wheel of a vehicle is harmless. But numbers don’t lie.  Drinking and driving can result in loss of life or serious injury.  These not only affect the lives of the impaired driver but can affect other families as well. 

The Bayshore Task Force is comprised of ten municipalities (Aberdeen, Atlantic Highlands, Hazlet, Highlands, Holmdel, Keansburg, Keyport, Matawan, Middletown and Union Beach) serving and patrolling 78 square miles with a population over 164,000.

On Super Bowl Sunday members of the Bayshore Task Force  will be patrolling in unmarked, semi-marked and marked patrol vehicles. Violations such as: Reckless Driving, Speeding, Unsafe Lane Changes, Aggressive Driving and other infractions will lead an officer to stop the vehicle and check to see if the operator is driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. K-9 teams and Drug Recognition Experts will be on duty and be able to identify those persons operating under the influence of drugs.

When you choose to drink, drink responsibly, and pass your keys to a sober driver.  Driving impaired or riding with someone who is impaired is not worth the risk. If you know of someone who has been drinking and is planning to drive, please remember Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk.

More information can be found on NHTSA’s Super Bowl XLVI page.

Chief John Powers

Aberdeen Twp. Police Dept.

President, Bayshore Task Force

Police Departments Of: Middletown, Keansburg, Holmdel, Hazlet, Highlands, Atlantic Highlands, Union Beach, Keyport, Aberdeen, Matawan