Yesterday, I warned drivers that the police would be out in droves to catch anyone who got in their car and drove home after celebrating the Super Bowl. Much of the attention was expected because of the number of Giants fans in New Jersey, and the fact that the 2008 Super Bowl brought in the second highest number of DWI arrests in the State’s history. Now, we have a new runner up.
This year’s Super Bowl celebrations resulted in 96 arrests for Driving While Intoxicated throughout the state. In 2008, when the Giants were last in the Super Bowl, the State’s police arrested 51 during Super Bowl weekend. And those numbers are limited to the number of arrests made by state police. In 2008, the number of local police arrests for DWI was 176. This year, although the numbers are not yet in, if the increase in state arrests is any indicator, that number could be around 300.
The police followed through with their threat to put an extra 100 patrols out on the streets this past weekend, and that resulted in increased enforcement. Additionally, national events result in much more drunk driving than usual because people find they have no option to get home with a taxi when everyone in the state is leaving at the same time.
If you were unfortunate enough to be charged with a DWI this weekend, contact a local experienced attorney to understand your options.
This information is not intended as legal advice.
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