New Jersey Remembers Victims of Drunk Driving Accidents

Family members of victims killed in drunk driving accidents recently remembered their lost loved ones in a ceremony that also recognized New Jersey law enforcement officers who made the most DWI arrests in the past year.

At the third annual “New Jersey Remembers” event in Trenton, the state honored officers from each of New Jersey’s 21 counties. Officer Joe Kuchmek of Pennsauken Township received the “Top Gun” award for making 86 arrests.

According to the state attorney general’s office, New Jersey law enforcement officers made more than 30,000 DWI arrests in 2012.

Thirty percent of the fatal crashes in the state are related to alcohol. Nationwide, 10,000 people die in alcohol-related crashes every year.

At the ceremony, family members showed pictures of the victims and lit candles in their memory. They shared the horrific details of the accidents and talked about the challenges of adjusting to life in the aftermath.

Drunk driving statistics show that crash deaths in New Jersey have been declining, in part due to enhanced enforcement of drunk driving laws.

Improved technology and education can also help prevent drunk driving deaths.

The HERO Campaign is a nationwide project to encourage the use of designated drivers. It also teaches driving safety in schools.

In preparation for prom night, some New Jersey high school students were given a “virtual reality” demonstration of what it’s like to drive drunk.

Middletown High School North students wore goggles that simulated the impairment experienced by drunk drivers. They then tried to walk in a straight line, shoot basketballs, and drive golf carts through a course.

They heard horrifying stories from a trauma unit nurse and also heard from parents who had lost children in car accidents.

The high school program was part of the township’s “Rude Awakening” Drug & Alcohol Awareness Program funded by the New Jersey Department of Highway Traffic Safety.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a drunk driving accident, or in any other type of motor vehicle accident, contact an experienced Teaneck personal injury lawyer at the Law Offices of Jeffrey S. Hasson, P.C.