Prior to the Independence Day holiday, the New Jersey State Police announced that officers were increasing their presence on the state’s roads.
Citing the fact that they often see a spike in serious and deadly traffic accidents around July 4, they announced that they were putting over 90 additional officers on traffic patrol duty for the holiday weekend.
On a related point, the State Police’s Marine Bureau announced that it would be watching boaters more carefully. It is likely that several local police departments increased their patrols as well.
The State Police specifically said that officers would be looking for drunk drivers. The State Police pointed out that, last year, most of the state’s deadly accidents that happened during the July 4 holiday involved alcohol.
Holiday partiers, tourists may be facing a drunk driving charge
What all of this means is that, in the aftermath of the recent holiday weekend, many residents of New Jerseys’ northern suburbs could be facing a drunk driving charge.
Visitors to the area as well as those who used the long weekend to go boating could also be facing legal trouble.
It is of course important to drink responsibly at all times, including the holidays. However, police and prosecutors can and too often do get overly zealous about filing DWI charges.
Sometimes, they may mistakenly or even intentionally sidestep important legal rights or proper procedures that ensure that the accusation is fair. In other cases, the official equipment used to test for drunk driving might have had a flaw or defect.
No one should take a DWI charge lightly, as there are significant penalties even for first-time offenders. Those who have been recently accused of drunk driving should understand their legal rights and the options available to them.
