Overview
The Goal: Zero initiative will conduct a Labor Day weekend kickoff enforcement campaign focused on high-visibility traffic safety enforcement during one of the busiest and most dangerous travel periods of the year.
This deployment is intended to support agencies conducting daytime pedestrian safety enforcement, evening DWI enforcement, or other targeted operations based on local crash data and staffing. The Friday before Labor Day weekend marks the start of a high-risk holiday travel period, with increased traffic volume, celebrations, pedestrian activity, and impaired driving concerns.
Agencies are encouraged to participate throughout the day and evening by conducting high-visibility enforcement and public education focused on impaired driving, pedestrian safety, speeding, distracted driving, seat belt use, and other violations that contribute to serious and fatal crashes.
This focused effort also serves as the finale to the summer travel season and the "106 Deadliest Days" between Memorial Day and Labor Day, reinforcing the shared mission of moving toward zero fatalities and serious injuries on New Jersey roads.
Tim O'Donnell and his 5-year-old daughter, Bridget, were killed by an intoxicated driver in a crash that took place on the New Jersey Turnpike on February 22, 2016. Pam O'Donnell, the wife and mother of the victims, has become a voice in the traffic safety community through her work with the Catch You Later Foundation to put a human face on the consequences of impaired and distracted driving in New Jersey. The Bayonne-based nonprofit was created to spread awareness of the state's #77 Aggressive Driving program.
The Goal: Zero Initiative, inspired by Holmdel Township Patrolman Matt Menosky during its inaugural 2024 campaign, brought together 36 municipalities to confront the traffic-related deaths.