'Booze It & Lose It' Nets 1,474 Impaired Driving Arrests During 1st Week of Campaign
13 July 2000
New Laws Plus the Presence of BATmobiles at Checkpoints Is Getting the Anti-DWI Message Across
RALEIGH, N.C. - Accompanied by all three of the state's breath alcohol
mobile testing units, better known as BATmobiles, North Carolina law enforcement
officers are out in full force as part of the Summer "Booze It & Lose It"
campaign to remind motorists that impaired driving will not be tolerated
anywhere in the state.
Sobriety checkpoints and roving patrols across the state netted
1,474 driving while impaired (DWI) charges between June 30 - July 9. The
arrests are a result of 842 checkpoints and random patrols across the state.
The campaign continues through July 16, and law enforcement in communities
across the state are continuing to strictly enforce North Carolina's DWI laws,
including a set of new laws which became effective on July 1.
The new laws, designed to target repeat offenders:
* 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.
"Not only do law enforcement have the aid of the new DWI laws, but they
are also able to make a powerful statement by having the BATmobiles alongside
them at their checkpoint locations," said Joe Parker, director of the
Governor's Highway Safety Program. "Because the BATmobiles are visiting
places where they have never been, the message is reaching many new parts of
the state that drinking and driving will not be tolerated, and that you can be
arrested and charged with DWI on the spot."
Parker also noted that legislation passed last night by the General
Assembly would help officers even more in their fight against drunk driving.
The law, which will become effective on October 1, will prohibit anyone in a
vehicle from having an open container of alcohol. Currently, the driver is
prohibited from having an open container of alcohol, however both front- and
backseat passengers are allowed to have open containers of beer and wine in a
vehicle that is in a public vehicular area.
A public vehicular area is any area within the state that is generally
open to and used by the public for vehicular traffic. These areas can include
not only roads, but also driveways and parking lots of public or private
hospitals, universities, churches, beach accesses, stores and offices.
The other part of the legislation will strengthen the ignition-interlock
requirement so that offenders will be required to install the alcohol-
detection device in all vehicles registered to them, rather than just their
primary vehicle.
"Strengthening a law that was put into effect just two weeks ago really
shows our state's commitment to the problem of impaired driving," Parker said.
"This legislation, coupled with the new DWI laws that just went into effect,
should really make people think again before getting behind the wheel after
drinking."
Besides charging impaired drivers, law enforcement officers at "Booze It &
Lose It" checkpoints and random patrols issued 4,744 seat belt and 596 child
safety seat citations. They also discovered 7,689 other traffic violations
and 2,320 total criminal violations, including 69 felony drug charges,
28 firearms violations, and eight fugitives from justice.
The following are the citations issued statewide by law enforcement
officers at "Booze It & Lose It" sobriety checkpoints and random patrols from
June 30 - July 9. Reporters may contact local law enforcement agencies for
local results and to learn where and when they will be conducting campaign
activities:
DWI Occupant
Total Driving Seat Belt Child
Week Checkpoints While Violations Passenger
and Patrols Impaired Safety
Violations Violations
June
30-
July
9 842 1,474 4,744 596
Other
Traffic Violations Criminal Violations
Speeding Other Total Misdemeanor Felony Firearm
Traffic Traffic Drug Drug Violations
Violations Violations Violations Violations
1,190 7,689 32,218 284 69 28
Criminal Violations
Stolen Fugitives Other Total Total
Vehicles Arrested Criminal Criminal Traffic &
Recovered Violations Violations Criminal
Not Listed Violations
42 8 1,939 2,320 34,538