Sobriety Checkpoint Planned for Route 35 This Weekend; Traffic Fatalities Up

Sobriety Checkpoint (Credit: PA Law Blog)

The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office announced Thursday that it intends to hold a sobriety checkpoint on Route 35 in Point Pleasant Beach this weekend.

The announcement, however, did not include the exact time or date on which the checkpoint will be held. In making his announcement, Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato reminded drivers that “an extra measure of caution and not operating under the influence could prevent tragedy.”

“The tremendous added volume of summer shore vehicle and pedestrian traffic calls for increased vigilance by law enforcement, and that will be the focus over this coming weekend,” said Coronato, in a statement. “We ask that drivers do their part by driving responsibly and making smart choices behind the wheel every day of the year.”

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Inattentive and aggressive drivers are always targets of law enforcements’ regular patrols, but the purpose of this effort is to “detect, educate, deter, arrest, and vigorously prosecute impaired drivers,” while also making Ocean County roads safer for the added pedestrian traffic, the announcement said.  

The program targets those under the influence of alcohol, but in response to Ocean County’s drug crisis also utilizes an addition of two Drug Recognition Experts at each checkpoint to detect those under the influence of narcotics. The county also oversees a countywide call-out system for DREs to respond and assist agencies in conducting evaluations of drivers suspected to be operating a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs.

The checkpoint comes as traffic fatalities are up county-wide. Last year Ocean County had 45 fatalities on our roadways. To date, there have already been 26 roadway fatalities in the county, said Al Della Fave, spokesman for the prosecutor’s office.