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Spring 1999 'Booze It & Lose It' nets 1,609 DWI charges

29 April 1999

Spring 1999 'Booze It & Lose It' nets 1,609 DWI charges from April 16-25

    RALEIGH, N.C., April 29 -- North Carolina law enforcement
officers made 1,609 driving-while-impaired (DWI) arrests from Friday,
April 16, to Sunday, April 25, during the spring 1999 "Booze It & Lose It"
crackdown on impaired driving.  The arrests are a result of 550 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
4,775 seat belt and 460 child safety seat citations.  Law enforcement officers
discovered a total of 30,562 violations, including 456 drug charges and
53 firearms violations.  They also recovered 21 stolen vehicles and
apprehended 10 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 spring 1999 program continues through May 2.
    The following are the statewide totals for the spring 1999 "Booze It &
Lose It" campaign April 16-25:

                                    Statewide Totals
                     DWI       Occupant Restraint     Traffic Violations
                   Driving                 Child
                    While                  Safety                 Total
    Total          Impaired    Seat Belt    Seat                 Traffic
    Checkpoints   Violations  Violations Violations    Speeding Violations
       550          1,609        4,775      460         10,954    29,350


                                   Criminal Violations
                                                                       Other
                Misdemeanor  Felony               Stolen             Criminal
    Total         Drug       Drug     Firearm    Vehicles Fugitives Violations
    Checkpoints Violations Violations Violations Recovered Arrested Not Listed
       550         394         62        53         21       10         672


                                                          Total
                                         Total           Traffic &
    Total                              Criminal          Criminal
    Checkpoints                        Violations        Violations
       550                                1,212            30,562


    For county-by-county "Booze It & Lose It" numbers, call Jill Warren Lucas
at the Governor's Highway Safety Program, 919-733-3083, or e-mail your request
to: jwlucas@dot.state.nc.us .
    For an on-line version of the most recent news releases from the GHSP, or
for more information about highway safety in North Carolina, visit our web
site at: http://www.dot.state.nc.us/services/ghsp .