Prosecutor: Expect more sobriety checkpoints in Ocean County during busy season

Motorists will encounter sobriety checkpoints throughout Ocean County through the summer months, Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato announced.

The intent is to “detect, educate, deter, arrest, and vigorously prosecute impaired drivers,” said spokesman Al Della Fave.

In his announcement, Coronato said to expect increased enforcement.

“The start of prom season and the added volume of summer shore traffic calls for increased vigilance by law enforcement, and that will be the focus over the coming months to keep motorists safe,” he said. “We ask that drivers do their part by driving responsibly and making smart choices behind the wheel every day of the year.”

Each checkpoint will also contain two drug recognition experts to deter motorists under the influence of narcotics.

Impaired drivers are responsible for about a third of the deaths occurring on county roadways annually, Della Fave said.

There were 46 deaths on county roadways in 2014, down from 51 in 2013, the second highest number in the state, the spokesman said.

The checkpoint program, which is funded in part by the Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety, will be conducted by local police agencies in conjunction with detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and Ocean County Sheriff’s Department K-9 Unit.