The Governor’s Highway Safety Program along with members of the Raleigh Police Department, Wake County Sheriff’s Office, North Carolina Highway Patrol and area first responders will gather at The Pit restaurant in Raleigh to kick off the statewide ‘Booze It & Lose It’ St. Patrick’s Day anti-drunk driving enforcement and education campaign.
Media availability will start promptly at 10 a.m. with commentary from the Governor’s Highway Safety Program Director Mark Ezzell, Samantha & Greg Hatem Owners of ‘Empire Eats’, Raleigh Police and a survivor of a crash involving a drunk driver.
Since drunk driving accounts for nearly one-third of vehicle-related fatalities across North Carolina, and many of those drunk drivers will be gathering at restaurants and bars over the St. Patrick’s Day weekend, NCGHSP is partnering with law enforcement and restaurant owners to raise awareness of the dangers of impaired driving, specifically on this weekend.
If you’re heading out to a St. Patrick’s Day celebration this weekend, make sure you have more than just the “luck o’ the Irish” on your side! These celebrations make up one of the biggest drinking nights of the year, and this, unfortunately, means more drunk drivers on the roads.
Fast facts:
44% of people killed in drunk driving crashed on this holiday are between the ages of 21 and 34 years old.
Statistics show that drunk driving deaths during this holiday are generally 8% higher than the national daily rate.
51% of all nighttime fatalities on St. Patrick’s Day were due to drunk driving.
Drunk driving fatalities on this holiday are seven times more likely to take place during the night than daytime.
For more media questions contact The Governor’s Highway Safety Program Communications Specialist Miracle King at (919) 814-3657 or miracleking@ncdot.gov.
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