Third BATMobile Introduced At Fall 'Booze It & Lose It'; Young Victim of DWI Crash Receives Gifts From Racecar Driver Jeff Gordon
20 November 1999
Third BATMobile Introduced At Fall 'Booze It & Lose It'; Young Victim of DWI Crash Receives Gifts From Racecar Driver Jeff Gordon
GREENVILLE, N.C., Nov. 19 -- North Carolina put its third
BATMobile, or breath-alcohol testing mobile unit, into service this morning
during the "Booze It & Lose It" statewide kickoff at Town Common in
Greenville. All three of the state's BATMobiles were at the kickoff and will
be used at driving-while-impaired (DWI) checkpoints throughout the campaign,
which continues through Dec. 5.
"I want to emphasize that these BATMobiles are available at no cost to law
enforcement agencies statewide," Gov. Jim Hunt said in a videotaped message
played during the kickoff. "And I mean all agencies, the small ones as well
as the big ones. Impaired driving will not be tolerated anywhere in North
Carolina. Not just during 'Booze It & Lose It' but every day of the year."
Several of the state's leading experts on driving while impaired spoke at
the event, including Joe Parker, director of the Governor's Highway Safety
Program; Al Eisele, director of the state's Forensic Tests for Alcohol Branch
and president of the International Association for Chemical Testing; and
Cheryl Jones, state chair of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Jones recently
was elected to serve as a Chapter-At-Large Director of MADD's national board.
They were joined by Ricky and Christopher Sprouse, of Bath and Greenville,
respectively, whose van was struck by a repeat DWI offender last Feb. 19.
Eight-year-old Christopher was trapped in his father's vehicle for nearly two
hours and was in a coma for four days. He was hospitalized for several months
and only recently returned to school. A short film documenting the crash and
Christopher's recovery was shown during the event.
NASCAR Winston-Cup driver Jeff Gordon sent an autographed photograph and
limited-edition scale models of his No. 24 race car to Christopher after
learning he played a role in the child's recovery. While Christopher was in a
coma, a family friend noticed a life-size poster of the driver in the hospital
room and joked that Gordon was not as good as the friend's favorite driver.
Christopher, one of Gordon's biggest fans, spontaneously reached out and
smacked the friend, and soon after awakened from his coma.
"I send my best wishes to Christopher and his family and am proud to be
part of 'Booze It & Lose It'," Gordon said. "I commend law enforcement for
all they do and the challenges they face."
During the "Booze It & Lose It" campaign, North Carolina law enforcement
officers will step-up enforcement of DWI laws with sobriety checkpoints and
roving patrols across the state. In addition, a new public service
announcement will remind television viewers about the deadly consequences of
impaired driving.
Law enforcement officers from across the state attended the "Booze It &
Lose It" launch in a show of support for heightened efforts to stop alcohol-
related deaths and injuries. City police agencies and county sheriffs'
offices will be joined by the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, the
Division of Motor Vehicles Enforcement Unit and other state agencies to
strictly enforce drunk driving laws. Sobriety checkpoints will be held in
communities across the state, including Asheville, Charlotte, Greensboro,
Greenville, Raleigh, and Wilmington the weekend of Nov. 19-20. Other
checkpoints will follow throughout the campaign.