The state today announced a 17-day campaign against drunk driving as part of its annual “Over the Limit, Under Arrest” initiative. From Friday, Aug. 20 to Monday, Sept. 6, local police departments will add patrols to the roads and set up “sobriety checkpoints.” The goal is to make enforcement very visible in order to increase the perceived risk of arrest and discourage people from driving drunk.

According to statistics from the state Division of Highway Traffic Safety, alcohol-related crashes accounted for 31 percent of all traffic fatalities in New Jersey in 2009, and about 36 percent of those alcohol-related crashes occurred during the summer. Read more in North Jersey.