Somerset and Hunterdon counties step up July Fourth DUI patrols

Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over. You have heard that line a hundred times. It still works because it is true.

Somerset and Hunterdon county police are stepping up DUI patrols for the Fourth of July weekend, joining the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's annual "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" campaign. Officers will be out in force on roadways across both counties, actively watching for drivers operating under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

The numbers behind this campaign are sobering, if you will forgive the pun. NHTSA reports that 11,904 people were killed in alcohol-impaired crashes nationwide in 2024. During the July Fourth holiday period alone — that six-day window NHTSA tracks around the holiday — 579 people died in crashes. Every single one of those numbers represents a family that did not expect their Fourth of July to end the way it did.

Plan your ride home first

I have written a lot this week about Jersey Shore towns bracing for the holiday weekend — curfews, boardwalk closures, and police presence up and down the coast. This is the inland version of that same story. The threat is not a crowd getting out of hand on a boardwalk. It is one bad decision behind the wheel on a county road at 11 p.m. after a cookout.

Somerset County officials made a point worth repeating — the cost of a rideshare home is nothing compared to what follows a DUI arrest. Fines, court costs, a suspended license, insurance rates that do not come back down for years. That is before you get anywhere near the possibility of hurting someone.

The math is not complicated. A $30 ride home is cheaper than every version of the alternative.

If you are heading to a cookout, a fireworks show, or a family gathering this weekend anywhere in Somerset or Hunterdon counties, plan the ride home before you plan anything else. Designate a driver. Use a rideshare. Call a friend. Whatever gets you home safe gets you home safe.

Have a great Fourth of July. Just get there and back the right way.

2023 Best Looking State Patrol Cars In (Almost) Every State

For the past 10 years, the American Association of State Troopers has held a contest to determine which state has the best looking patrol cruiser. Nearly every state police agency submits their best photo of their sharpest patrol vehicle a chance to win the coveted cover photo on the association's annual calendar. From cop cars rushing through blizzards to vehicles on the Grand Ole Opry stage, here are this 2023's nominees.

Gallery Credit: Rob Carroll