Highway Safety Campaign To Cont. During Thanksgiving Travel Holiday
24 November 1998
Highway Safety Campaign To Continue During Busy Thanksgiving Travel Holiday North Carolina's Weekend 'Booze It & Lose It' Checkpoints Net 51 DWI Charges
RALEIGH, N.C., Nov. 24 -- North Carolina's "Booze It & Lose
It" program continues as law enforcement officers statewide step up
enforcement of impaired driving laws and promote safe motoring during the busy
Thanksgiving holiday season.
"We want to remind motorists to play it safe during the holidays and
whenever they travel, because law enforcement officers are cracking down on
drunk driving and other highway safety offenses," said Joe Parker, director of
the Governor's Highway Safety Program. "Our goal is for all travelers this
holiday season to arrive at their destinations without incident."
During Thanksgiving weekend 1997, 22 people died in North Carolina highway
crashes; three of those fatalities were alcohol-related, according to the
Traffic Safety Systems Management Unit of the North Carolina Department of
Transportation.
"That's three precious lives lost; another 152 people suffered injuries
because someone was drinking and driving on our roads," said Parker, who spoke
today at the Mothers Against Drunk Driving's (MADD) annual red ribbon holiday
event. He urged motorists to join with MADD and tie red ribbons on their
vehicles' antennae and take a stand against drunk driving. "We must continue
our efforts to ensure that the death and injury toll does not climb this
holiday season."
North Carolina kicked off the "Booze It & Lose It" program on Nov. 20,
Parker said. Law enforcement in communities across the state continue to
strictly enforce North Carolina's driving-while-impaired (DWI) laws. Sobriety
checkpoints in Asheville/Buncombe County, Charlotte/Mecklenburg County,
Fayetteville/Cumberland County, Greensboro/Guilford County, Greenville/Pitt
County and Wilmington/New Hanover County netted 51 DWI arrests over the
weekend of Nov. 20-22.
Besides charging impaired drivers, law enforcement officers at these
checkpoints issued 15 seat belt and three child safety seat citations. They
also discovered 424 violations, including 10 drug charges, one stolen vehicle
and two fugitives from justice.
In addition to local "Booze It & Lose It" efforts, North Carolina law
enforcement officers are participating in the national "Operation ABC
Mobilization: America Buckles Up Children" taking place this week (Nov.
23-29). Tyrrell County Chief Deputy Larry Hill represented North Carolina
Monday in Washington, D.C., at the national "Operation ABC" launch. Hill
joined his colleagues across the nation and pledged to save children from the
leading cause of death -- traffic crashes.
"Operation ABC" is based on "Click It or Ticket," North Carolina's highly
successful occupant protection initiative. More than 5,000 law enforcement
agencies in all 50 states are expected to participate in the campaign, which
cracks down on drivers who don't buckle up children. Traffic crashes are the
leading cause of death of American children.
"Always properly wear your seat belt. It's your best defense against
impaired drivers," Parker said. He offered these additional safe driving tips
to motorists for the holiday travel season:
-- Never drink and drive.
-- If you suspect someone is driving while impaired, dial 911 or *HP on a
cellular phone to alert law enforcement.
-- Make sure everyone who rides with you always buckles up.
-- Always properly restrain all children in the back seat where they are
the safest.
-- Finally, never place an infant in a rear-facing infant seat in front of
an air bag.
"We want everyone to have a safe and sober holiday," Parker said.
"Remember, it's 'Booze It & Lose It.'
The following are the citations discovered by law enforcement officers at
"Booze It & Lose It" sobriety checkpoints of six locations the weekend of Nov.
20-22:
DWI Occupant Restraint Other Traffic Violations
Driving Child Total
While Safety Other
Checkpoint Impaired Seat Belt Seat Traffic
Location Violations Violations Viol. Speeding Viol.
Asheville/
Buncombe 1 9 0 21 39
County
Charlotte/
Mecklenburg 10 2 0 0 62
Fayetteville/
Cumberland 15 2 1 0 43
County
Greenville/
Pitt County 8 0 0 2 42
Greensboro/
Guilford
County 11 2 2 0 85
Wilmington/
New Hanover
County 6 0 0 0 56
Total 51 15 3 23 327
Criminal Violations
Misdemeanor Felony Stolen
Checkpoint Drug Drug Firearm Vehicles Fugitives
Location Violations Viol. Viol. Recovered Arrested
Asheville/
Buncombe
County 1 1 0 0 0
Charlotte/
Mecklenburg
County 1 0 0 0 0
Fayetteville/
Cumberland
County 1 5 1 0 0
Greenville/
Pitt County 0 0 1 0 1
Greensboro/
Guilford
County 1 0 0 0 1
Wilmington/
New Hanover
County 0 0 0 1 0
Total 4 6 2 1 2
Criminal Violations
Other Total
Criminal Total Traffic &
Checkpoint Viol. Criminal Criminal
Location Not Listed Violations Violations
Asheville/
Buncombe
County 3 5 54
Charlotte/
Mecklenburg
County 0 1 75
Fayetteville/
Cumberland
County 0 7 68
Greenville/
Pitt County 0 2 52
Greensboro/
Guilford
County 8 10 110
Wilmington/
New Hanover
County 2 3 65
Total 13 28 424
Weekly statewide and county-by-county "Booze It & Lose It" totals will be
released on Dec. 2 and Dec. 9.
