NJ launches ‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over’ holiday enforcement campaign

Attorney General Matthew Platkin and the Division of Highway Traffic Safety have launched New Jersey’s annual “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign, a drunk-driving enforcement push that runs through the holiday season.

The Division of Highway Traffic Safety is providing $703,500 to 125 law enforcement agencies to support increased patrols and sobriety checkpoints between Dec. 5, 2025, and Jan. 1, 2026. Drunk-driving crashes typically rise in December and early January. The effort is part of a nationwide campaign aimed at preventing fatalities by removing impaired drivers from the road.

“No one wants an empty seat at the holiday table,” Platkin said in a press release about the program. “Impaired driving is completely unacceptable and can have devastating consequences. Police across the state will be out removing impaired drivers from the road to protect New Jersey families during the holiday season.”

Michael J. Rizol Jr., director of the Division of Highway Traffic Safety, noted that fatal crashes in New Jersey have declined so far this year but said the coming weeks historically bring an increase in drivers who are impaired while on the roads.

“We urge everyone to make a plan to get home safely and never drive under the influence of alcohol or other substances,” Rizol said.

Last year, New Jersey recorded 647 fatal crashes that resulted in 684 deaths. Of the drivers involved in those crashes, 32.5% had been drinking, according to the division.

During last year’s “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign, the state provided $732,400 to 130 law enforcement agencies. The increased enforcement resulted in 590 impaired-driving arrests, 2,948 speeding summonses, and 1,038 seat belt summonses.