Individuals are not the only ones who can apply for assistance. State governments often receive federal assistance for programs within its borders. New Jersey recently received a grant of $5 million dollars to help fund traffic safety in the state.
The New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety is the agency that will receive the funds. Although the agency will determine just how the funds will be used, portions of the money have already been earmarked for certain focus areas. Of those areas, drunk driving efforts will receive $2.9 million and that certainly could mean increased enforcement.
Senator Robert Mendez (D-NJ) confirmed with media sources earlier this month that enforcement certainly is a focus. “New Jersey law enforcement will have more tools to crack down on drunk drivers,” he said in a statement made on Tuesday, Oct. 2. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) was the other Senator behind the federal grants. Lautenberg was one of the individuals who authored the law that lowered the legal blood alcohol limit to .08 in not only New Jersey, but the entire country.
Although there is an added $2,960,086 million in the drunk driving budget, this money will not cover the costs of a drunk driving offense. In fact, fines and costs associated with implementing penalties such as the interlock device or an overnight stay in a local jail are often left to the individual charged, and these costs are not small.
Source: North Jersey, “N.J. will receive $5M in grants to combat drunk driving, improve safety,” Karen Rouse, Oct. 2, 2012
Misdemeanor DUI charges may not result in jail time, but they still can lead to significant fines or loss of your license, both of which an experienced attorney in New Jersey can mitigate or prevent.