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North Carolina's Crack Down on Drunk Drivers Begins Today

30 June 2000

'Booze It & Lose It' Kicked Off With MADD National President; New DWI Laws Announced

    RALEIGH, N.C. - Starting tomorrow, law enforcement will be able to crack 
down harder than ever on impaired drivers, thanks to a new set of DWI laws 
announced at the "Booze It & Lose It" kickoff, which was held at 11 a.m. today 
at the State Capitol.

    The new laws, which will target repeat offenders, will:

    * Reduce the legal alcohol concentration (AC) from 0.08 to 0.04 for
      persons who have been convicted of one DWI and have had their license
      reinstated.
    * Reduce the legal AC from 0.04 to 0.00 for persons who have been
      convicted of a second DWI and have had their license reinstated.
    * Require the installation of an ignition-interlock system in the vehicle
      of a person who has been convicted of having an AC of 0.16 or greater.

    Millie Webb, the national president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, who
kicked off National Sobriety Checkpoint Week in Washington, DC, yesterday,
commended North Carolina for its attention to the problem of impaired driving.

    "North Carolina has historically demonstrated leadership by initiating
progressive legislation and strong enforcement to address impaired driving,"
Webb said.  "As the voice of two million MADD members and supporters, I
commend the state of North Carolina for responsibly addressing the serious
threat to society that impaired driving poses, and taking pro-active steps in
order to protect the citizens of this great state."

    Webb also warned motorists to watch out for impaired drivers during the
heavily-traveled July 4th holiday.

    "The July 4th holiday is one of the deadliest for road travel and impaired
driving every year," Webb said.  "The North Carolina 'Booze It & Lose It'
statewide campaign will be an important initiative to increase public
awareness of the dangers of impaired driving.  It is putting North Carolinians
on notice that if you drink and drive, chances are great that you will be
caught."

    North Carolina crash statistics reveal that 12 people died last year in
this state during the July 4th weekend.  While this is still 12 fatalities too
many, it is a far cry from the 22 people who died in crashes during 1998's
July 4th holiday.

    Also speaking at the kickoff event were Erin and Jessica Lawler, whose
17-year-old sister, Shana, was killed by a drunk driver in the April 1999
crash in Kill Devil Hills, NC, also killing three other teens.  The Lawler's
story got national attention when the drunk driver was found guilty in a trial
that appeared on Court TV.

    "Each of us is here on a crusade to stop drunk driving.  It has taken
countless lives, and shattered thousands of others each year," said Erin
Lawler, who is president of the Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD)
chapter at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  "It should not
have to take the loss of a loved one to take action.  I pray that is not what
it takes for you.  If we put forth our efforts together, we will alter the
mentality concerning binge drinking and driving while impaired."

    North Carolina law enforcement will join forces in an all-out effort to
step-up enforcement of all the state's DWI laws during "Booze It & Lose It,"
which will continue through July 16.  To assist them at checkpoints across the
state, three breath-alcohol testing mobile units, better known as BATmobiles,
will be in operation in 39 cities and towns where statistics have shown there
to be a particularly high rate of alcohol-related crashes.

    Since the beginning of "Booze It & Lose It," law enforcement officers have
conducted nearly 35,000 checkpoints and have issued more than 56,000 DWI
citations.