---

North Carolina Given Top Grade for Anti-Driving While Impaired Efforts

23 November 1999

North Carolina Given Top Grade for Anti-Driving While Impaired Efforts; Rates Of Drunk Driving Crashes/Fatalities Remain Among the Lowest in the Nation

    RALEIGH, N.C., Nov. 23 -- North Carolina was named as one of
only four states to receive a grade of "A-" or better for its attention to the
problem of drinking and driving, according to a "Rating of the States 2000"
report released today by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).
    The MADD report listed North Carolina's effective political leadership and
intensified enforcement efforts as reasons for its "A-" grade.  The report
also pointed to North Carolina's percentage of alcohol-related traffic crashes
as a reason for its high marking.  Statistics from the NC Department of
Transportation indicate that only 29.4 percent of crashes can be attributed to
drunk driving, which is well below the national average of 39 percent.
    Keeping the number of drunk driving fatalities down has been the result of
a combination of factors: strong legislative support for anti-driving while
impaired (DWI) initiatives, stepped-up enforcement of DWI laws and our
nationally-acclaimed 'Booze It & Lose It' program," said Joe Parker, director
of the Governor's Highway Safety Program (GHSP).
    "We did very well on the rating and I'm very proud of that, but in the
future, we will work toward a solid "A," said Cheryl Jones, state chair of
North Carolina MADD and a newly-elected chapter-at-large director on MADD's
national board of directors.
    North Carolina is currently in the middle of battling impaired driving
with its "Booze It & Lose It" campaign.  The two-week crack down on impaired
driving has been responsible for cutting in half the number of drunk drivers
found at late-night DWI checkpoints since it began in 1994.  The GHSP has also
made a commitment to crack down on drunk drivers by providing the state with
its third breath-alcohol testing mobile unit (BATmobile), which was debuted at
the "Booze It & Lose It" kickoff in Greenville last week.
    Other anti-drunk driving efforts engaged in by the state include providing
$11 million in grant money over the past three years to allow for the purchase
of equipment to identify and remove impaired drivers from our roads.  North
Carolina has also been instrumental in passing legislation to reduce
the state's blood and alcohol concentration level (BAC) to .08.
    Another law, which goes into effect July 1, 2000, will target repeat DWI
offenders by lowering the legal BAC to .04 for those who have been convicted
of one DWI and have had their license reinstated.  Chronic offenders will also
be punished by the new law, which will lower the legal BAC to 0.00 for those
who have been convicted of two DWIs and have had their license reinstated.

    For more information about this or other highway safety issues, call
Public Information Officer Jill Warren Lucas or Deputy Public Information
Officer Erica Hinton at (919) 733-3083, or visit Web site
http://www.dot.state.nc.us/services/ghsp .