The North Carolina Highway Patrol recently kicked off an aggressive Booze It and Loose It campaign with a DWI Blitz over the weekend. The goal is to make North Carolina’s roadways safer for everyone. The campaign will run Friday, August 19, through Sept. 5.
On Saturday, Troopers from Bladen and Columbus counties gathered at Joe’s Barbecue in Whiteville and formulated a plan for a local DWI blitz in an effort to keep motorists safe.
“We bring out all of our manpower and they work a three day event,” said Sgt. M. K. Young on Saturday.
The Highway Patrol and local law enforcement agencies in Bladen and Columbus counties, and throughout the state, will be working together all week to raise awareness of the dangers of drinking and driving and to keep impaired drivers off North Carolina’s roadways.
“We want everyone in North Carolina to enjoy this Labor Day holiday and make safe choices,” said N.C. Transportation Secretary Nick Tennyson. “Our ultimate goal is to eliminate alcohol-related accidents and fatalities by getting impaired drivers off the road through education and enforcement efforts.”
During last year’s Booze It & Lose It campaign, state and local law enforcement arrested 3,523 impaired drivers through more than 13,500 sobriety checkpoints across the state. State law makes it illegal to drive with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher.
The mission of the Booze It & Lose It campaign aligns closely with Governor Pat McCrory’s NC Vision Zero initiative, which aims to eliminate all traffic-related injuries and fatalities through strategic coordinated efforts with public and private partners in traffic safety.
Also, the sate will be maintaining a “Be Smarter than That” campaign that will allow give impaired drivers access to safe options by which they can return home. BeSmarterThanThat.com is a website where drivers can designate someone to drive them, they can locate public transportation, locate taxi services or download a ride app.
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