"Booze It & Lose It" Nets 37 Impaired Driving Arrests During Weekend
23 November 2000
"Booze It & Lose It" Nets 37 Impaired Driving Arrests During First Weekend of CampaignGHSP Director Reminds That Impaired Driving Will Not Be Tolerated During Thanksgiving Holiday RALEIGH, N.C., Nov. 22 Despite this past weekend's frigid temperatures, law enforcement statewide were still adamant about getting out in full force to stop drunk drivers on behalf of the fall 2000 "Booze It & Lose It" campaign. Sobriety checkpoints in Asheville, Charlotte, Greensboro, Greenville, Raleigh and Wrightsville Beach netted 37 driving while impaired (DWI) arrests over the weekend of November 17-19, and law enforcement officers across the state are continuing to strictly enforce North Carolina's DWI laws, especially with the approaching Thanksgiving holiday weekend close at hand. "Thanksgiving has been the bloodiest holiday weekend each of the last two years," said Joe Parker, director of the Governor's Highway Safety Program. "Because so many people are taking to the roads to be with friends and family, we want to remind all drivers to make appropriate plans for safe travel. If you choose to drink, be sure to choose a designated driver." Both last year and in 1998, 29 people died on North Carolina roads during the four-day Thanksgiving holiday. In addition to the high number of fatalities, more than 3,300 people were injured during the past two holidays. Besides charging impaired drivers, law enforcement officers at these six checkpoints issued 23 seat belt and nine child passenger safety citations. They also discovered 321 other traffic violations and 49 total criminal violations, including 14 drug charges and one fugitive from justice. Hundreds of checkpoints and roving patrols will be conducted by law enforcement across the state throughout the campaign, which continues through December 3. Law enforcement officers are also paying special attention to ensure that children are riding buckled up. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, nearly two of every three children killed in alcohol-related crashes are passengers riding with an impaired driver. In the majority of these cases, the impaired driver didn't have the presence of mind to make sure the child was buckled up. North Carolina crash data supports this deadly national trend. Eleven unrestrained North Carolina children under age 16 died while traveling with an impaired driver in 1997, and three died in 1999. So far this year, at least three North Carolina children have died in similar circumstances. The following are the citations issued by law enforcement officers at "Booze It & Lose It" sobriety checkpoints in six locations the weekend of November 17-19: DWI Occupant Restraint Driving Child While Passenger Checkpoint Impaired Seat Belt Safety Location Violations Violations Violations Asheville/ Buncombe County 5 8 1 Charlotte/ Mecklenburg County 9 0 0 Greenville/ Pitt County 9 8 5 Greensboro/ Guilford County 6 1 1 Raleigh/ Wake County 1 6 2 Wrightsville Beach/ New Hanover County 7 0 0 Total 37 23 9 Other Traffic Violations Speeding Other Total Traffic Traffic Violations Violations Asheville/ Buncombe County 0 21 35 Charlotte/ Mecklenburg County 0 71 80 Greenville/ Pitt County 0 15 37 Greensboro/ Guilford County 4 111 123 Raleigh/ Wake County 24 72 105 Wrightsville Beach/ New Hanover County 3 31 55 Total 31 321 435 Criminal Violations Misdemeanor Felony Stolen Drug Drug Firearm Vehicles Violations Violations Violations Recovered Asheville/ Buncombe County 0 0 1 0 Charlotte/ Mecklenburg County 2 0 0 0 Greenville/ Pitt County 2 0 0 0 Greensboro/ Guilford County 4 0 0 0 Raleigh/ Wake County 5 1 0 0 Wrightsville Beach/ New Hanover County 0 0 0 0 Total 13 1 1 0 Other Total Fugitives Criminal Total Traffic & Arrested Violations Criminal Criminal Not Listed Violations Violations Asheville/ Buncombe County 0 3 4 39 Charlotte/ Mecklenburg County 0 2 4 84 Greenville/ Pitt County 0 0 2 39 Greensboro/ Guilford County 3 0 7 130 Raleigh/ Wake County 0 21 27 132 Wrightsville Beach/ New Hanover County 1 4 5 60 Total 4 30 49 484