Thanks to a group of overly tanned twenty-somethings and a set of extremely toned abs, people across the United States are more familiar with the Jersey Shore than ever before. As portrayed on the shore, the Jersey Shore is known as the summer party spot for the twenty-something crowd in New Jersey and its surrounding states. Unfortunately, not all of those enjoying in the endless summer parties are of legal age.

Parents of underage children who may be traveling to the Jersey Shore's resort areas can rest a bit easier. New Jersey Attorney General Paula Dow recently held a press conference in Wildwood, NJ to announce a major crackdown on underage drinking at the Jersey Shore.

Last summer, over 500 underage drinkers were arrested at the Jersey Shore. This year, the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control and the Division of Highway Safety partnered to combat the underage drinking problem. Additionally, Dow is encouraging law enforcement officials to charge underage drinkers to the fullest extent of the law.

Currently, underage drinkers face steep fines and the loss of his or her driver’s license for 6 months if convicted. That’s right, in New Jersey underage drinking can lead to the loss of a driver's license even if you are not driving! Dow explained that charging underage drinkers to the fullest extent of the law will get their attention. She said, “Driving is a privilege. Take away that privilege and you’ll get people’s attention.”

The Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control is sending the strong message that the consequences of underage drinking reach far beyond the legal ramifications. According to the division’s director, the division wants young people to be aware of the life-changing consequences that affect the drinker and all of the people whose lives may be affected by his or her drunken decisions.

The Division of Highway Traffic Safety also aims to combat a growing problem in New Jersey: drugged driving. According to the division’s director, Pam Fischer, that 28,705 people were arrested for driving while intoxicated in 2008 in New Jersey. Of those people charged, 2,938 of them were under the age of 21.

Fischer said, “While we continue to made steady progress in our fight to keep drunk drivers off of our roads, we still have a long way to go if we are to ensure that all drivers, add in particular our newest and youngest ones, remain safe.” Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for young people ages 15 to 20. Young drivers are inexperienced and tend to have a false sense of confidence behind the wheel. When alcohol is incorporated into that scenario you have a recipe for disaster, especially in the summer months at the Jersey Shore.

Additional Articles to Prevent Underage Drinking:

How to Deal with Underage Drinking: Tips for Parents
Social Hosting: Underage Drinking

Labels: drunk driving, drunk driving laws, new york dui laws

New Yorkers who have received a ticket can reduce both the points for that ticket and their insurance rates by taking an approved Points and insurance Reduction (PIRP) driving safety course. New Yorkers have a couple of options when taking the course so, before registering, you may want to stop and think about what type of course is best for you and whether or not you are eligible to take the course.

Classroom or Virtual

A person who wants to attend a PIRP course should consider the following before choosing the type of course they want.

What is my learning style? – If you are a visual learner, one who learns more easily by seeing or by reading, you will probably want to consider taking the I-PIRP (Internet – Point and Insurance Reduction Course) online.

If you learn more easily by listening, you may want to consider taking the classroom course. Each style of course has its benefits and drawbacks based on your personal learning style.

Classroom – the classroom course provides advantages to those who like to learn by listening or who feel they don't learn as well simply by reading.

Advantages of the classroom course are:

• The opportunity to ask questions of the instructor and learn from his/her experience.


• Learning by hearing the experiences of other drivers in the classroom.


• Getting the class out of the way in one sitting.


• No final exam for course completion.

Under New York law, the PIRP course must be six hours long. If you choose to take the classroom course, you may want to consider whether or not to complete it in one day or over a two day period.

Internet – Those who learn best by seeing and reading, will probably want to consider taking the I-PIRP course from their home computer.

Advantages to the internet course include:

• The benefit of learning at your own pace.


• You can stop the course and pick it up again later as long as you complete the course within 30 days after registering.


• The ability to attend at a time most convenient to you either from home or at work.

There are assessments in the internet course to prove that you viewed and understood the course material.

Am I eligible?

To reduce points from your driving record, the course must be taken within 18 months after receiving the ticket. It cannot be used to reduce points on any future tickets and the course can only be taken once in an 18 month period.

Insurance reduction

Your current insurance rates can be reduced by 10 % over the next three years but only if the course is taken by the principal operator of the vehicle as listed on the insurance policy. A secondary driver on the policy who takes the course won’t realize an insurance cost reduction.

Learn more about the benefits of the NY I-PIRP Defensive Driving Course.

Labels: insurance reduction, ipirp course, new york defensive driving, ny pirp, point reduction course