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'Booze It & Lose It' 1998 Nets 1,454 DWI Charges

3 December 1998

'Booze It & Lose It' 1998 Nets 1,454 DWI Charges From Nov. 20-29

    RALEIGH, N.C., Dec. 2 -- North Carolina law enforcement
officers made 1,454 driving-while-impaired (DWI) arrests from Friday, Nov. 20,
to Sunday, Nov. 29, during the fall 1998 "Booze It & Lose It" crackdown on
impaired driving. The arrests are a result of 379 checkpoints and random
patrols across the state. The numbers were reported by the law enforcement
agencies in each county and compiled by the North Carolina State Highway
Patrol.
    Besides cracking down on impaired drivers, law enforcement officers issued
3,813 seat belt and 377 child safety seat citations as part of their
participation in the national "Operation ABC Mobilization: America Buckles Up
Children" campaign. Law enforcement officers discovered a total of 31,588
violations, including 346 drug charges, 14 stolen vehicles and nine fugitives
from justice.
    The goal of "Booze It & Lose It" is to lower the number of impaired
drivers on North Carolina highways: saving lives, preventing injuries and
reducing the massive health-care costs associated with traffic crashes. The
1998 program continues through Dec. 6.
    The following are the statewide totals for the fall 1998 "Booze It & Lose
It" campaign Nov. 20-29:

                              Statewide Totals

                     DWI      Occupant Restraint     Traffic Violations
                   Driving                Child
                    While                Safety                  Total
    Total          Impaired   Seat Belt   Seat                  Traffic
    Checkpoints     Viols       Viols    Viols        Speeding   Viols

       379          1,454       3,813      377         13,758    30,278


                               Criminal  Violations
                                                                  Other
               Misdemeanor  Felony          Stolen  Fugitives  Criminal
    Total         Drug      Drug   Firearm  Vehicles  Arrested   Viols
    Checkpoints   Viols     Viols   Viols   Recovered           Not Listed

      379          260        86     39       14         9        902


                     Criminal Violations
                                                   Total
                          Total                   Traffic &
    Total               Criminal                  Criminal
    Checkpoints         Violations                Violations

      379                 1,310                    31,588