Billboard sends sobering message on drunk driving

BY JENNIFER AMATO
Staff Writer

NORTH BRUNSWICK — A billboard featuring a student killed two years ago by a drunk driver has been placed on Apple Orchard Lane and Route 130 to try and deter drinking and driving, especially during the holidays.

Michael V. Partipilo, a presidential high school honor student at St. Joseph’s High School in Metuchen, was killed by a drunk driver on March 12, 2004, at the age of 17. According to Middlesex County Freeholder Christopher Rafano, the Piscataway resident went out one night to the store and was struck and killed in his vehicle by a repeat offender.

The billboard was installed by the county Parks and Road departments in North Brunswick because of its visibility along the heavily traveled Route 130, according to Rafano. In the future, the county hopes to make the billboard mobile with the acquisition of a trailer through funds obtained by a grant from the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety.

“The ultimate plan is to have other billboards up and to move the billboards around throughout the county for maximum visibility,” said Rafano, who is the chairperson of the county Law and Public Safety Committee.

“I think the purpose they serve is to educate people and deter people from drinking and driving. When they see a picture of a victim who lost his life to a drunk driver, hopefully they’ll be affected by that. … I hope by seeing a picture it moves something in the people who see it. They see a face and a name and hopefully that will deter them from drinking and driving,” he continued.

The billboard is a joint effort between the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s MORE initiative (Middlesex Out-Reach and Education) and the freeholders. Although Rafano believes this is the first time the county has used a billboard to spread its message, the Prosecutor’s Office increases roadblocks during the holiday seasons to catch impaired drivers. During prom season, fellow Freeholder H. James Polos sponsors a video contest in schools about the dangers of drunk driving.

“This is another effort on our part to educate people on the dangers of drinking and driving. My hope is that the billboard does have an effect. If it can save one individual, then certainly it is worth it,” Rafano said.