A Warning To NJ Motorists As Summer Driving Season Begins [AUDIO]

This holiday weekend marks the unofficial start of the summer season, and more New Jerseyans are heading out onto the highway.

"We want everybody to know that there is a lot to look at along the highways, but you need to pay particular attention because in those areas particularly, traffic is going to slow down abruptly. There are different features of the highway you may not be used to, there are lane shifts," says New Jersey State Police Captain Eric Heitmann.

During a Safe Roads news conference on the Turnpike, Heitmann said there will be extra patrols on the road, conducting sobriety checkpoints and deploying drunk driver mobile patrols, and participating in the national Click It or Ticket seat belt mobilization.

"What we're asking of every driver on our highways is to always wear seat belts, and never drink and drive - always have a designated driver along," he said.

"With so much construction going on, it's very important that you stay focused 100 percent of the time on your driving," Gary Poedubicky, Acting Director of the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety, said.

"Too many times we see motorists who are texting or not focused 100 percent on their driving, and it's causing them to have issues on the roadway, so it's very very important their mind is on driving and nothing else."