Voorhees Township police cracking down on drunk drivers

Police in New Jersey are cracking down on drunk drivers during the holiday season. FOX 29's Lauren Dugan has more.

NEW JERSEY - Police in New Jersey are cracking down on drunk drivers. Last year, from December to New Year’s Day police arrested over 12,000 impaired drivers, according to a report by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office of Public Safety.

One township has started a program to prevent it. The Voorhees Saves Lives program partners with Uber and local bars to give residents a free ride home up to $15. Users must live in Voorhees and leave from a Voorhees bar or restaurant from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.

“It was a no brainer,” Director of Community and Economic Development Mario DiNatale said. “It’s paid for through sponsors and donations to the township, not tax dollars.”

On Friday night, DiNatale passed out new posters and flyers to participating bars and restaurants with a code to scan and unlock the offer. Users must already have the Uber app on their phone.

“We got to be the first line of defense to let everyone know what’s going on,” said Dillion Hess, who is a bartender at Iron Hill Brewery in Voorhees Town Center.

Iron Hill Brewery is one of the sponsors. General Manager Eric Roberts says if it saves one life it’s worth it.

“We have a responsibility to the people we serve to get them home safely," he said.

Voorhees Township tells FOX 29 they work closely with police on this program for the last three years and says their drunk driving arrests have drastically dropped.

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