"Booze It & Lose It" Nets 37 Impaired Driving Arrests During Weekend
23 November 2000
"Booze It & Lose It" Nets 37 Impaired Driving Arrests During First Weekend of Campaign
GHSP Director Reminds That Impaired Driving Will
Not Be Tolerated During Thanksgiving Holiday
RALEIGH, N.C., Nov. 22 Despite this past weekend's frigid
temperatures, law enforcement statewide were still adamant about getting out
in full force to stop drunk drivers on behalf of the fall 2000 "Booze It &
Lose It" campaign.
Sobriety checkpoints in Asheville, Charlotte, Greensboro, Greenville,
Raleigh and Wrightsville Beach netted 37 driving while impaired (DWI) arrests
over the weekend of November 17-19, and law enforcement officers across the
state are continuing to strictly enforce North Carolina's DWI laws, especially
with the approaching Thanksgiving holiday weekend close at hand.
"Thanksgiving has been the bloodiest holiday weekend each of the last two
years," said Joe Parker, director of the Governor's Highway Safety Program.
"Because so many people are taking to the roads to be with friends and family,
we want to remind all drivers to make appropriate plans for safe travel. If
you choose to drink, be sure to choose a designated driver."
Both last year and in 1998, 29 people died on North Carolina roads during
the four-day Thanksgiving holiday. In addition to the high number of
fatalities, more than 3,300 people were injured during the past two holidays.
Besides charging impaired drivers, law enforcement officers at these six
checkpoints issued 23 seat belt and nine child passenger safety citations.
They also discovered 321 other traffic violations and 49 total criminal
violations, including 14 drug charges and one fugitive from justice. Hundreds
of checkpoints and roving patrols will be conducted by law enforcement across
the state throughout the campaign, which continues through December 3.
Law enforcement officers are also paying special attention to ensure that
children are riding buckled up. According to the Journal of the American
Medical Association, nearly two of every three children killed in
alcohol-related crashes are passengers riding with an impaired driver. In the
majority of these cases, the impaired driver didn't have the presence of mind
to make sure the child was buckled up.
North Carolina crash data supports this deadly national trend. Eleven
unrestrained North Carolina children under age 16 died while traveling with an
impaired driver in 1997, and three died in 1999. So far this year, at least
three North Carolina children have died in similar circumstances.
The following are the citations issued by law enforcement officers at
"Booze It & Lose It" sobriety checkpoints in six locations the weekend of
November 17-19:
DWI Occupant Restraint
Driving Child
While Passenger
Checkpoint Impaired Seat Belt Safety
Location Violations Violations Violations
Asheville/
Buncombe
County 5 8 1
Charlotte/
Mecklenburg
County 9 0 0
Greenville/
Pitt County 9 8 5
Greensboro/
Guilford
County 6 1 1
Raleigh/
Wake County 1 6 2
Wrightsville
Beach/
New Hanover
County 7 0 0
Total 37 23 9
Other Traffic Violations
Speeding Other Total
Traffic Traffic
Violations Violations
Asheville/
Buncombe
County 0 21 35
Charlotte/
Mecklenburg
County 0 71 80
Greenville/
Pitt County 0 15 37
Greensboro/
Guilford
County 4 111 123
Raleigh/
Wake County 24 72 105
Wrightsville
Beach/
New Hanover
County 3 31 55
Total 31 321 435
Criminal Violations
Misdemeanor Felony Stolen
Drug Drug Firearm Vehicles
Violations Violations Violations Recovered
Asheville/
Buncombe
County 0 0 1 0
Charlotte/
Mecklenburg
County 2 0 0 0
Greenville/
Pitt County 2 0 0 0
Greensboro/
Guilford
County 4 0 0 0
Raleigh/
Wake County 5 1 0 0
Wrightsville
Beach/
New Hanover
County 0 0 0 0
Total 13 1 1 0
Other Total
Fugitives Criminal Total Traffic &
Arrested Violations Criminal Criminal
Not Listed Violations Violations
Asheville/
Buncombe
County 0 3 4 39
Charlotte/
Mecklenburg
County 0 2 4 84
Greenville/
Pitt County 0 0 2 39
Greensboro/
Guilford
County 3 0 7 130
Raleigh/
Wake County 0 21 27 132
Wrightsville
Beach/
New Hanover
County 1 4 5 60
Total 4 30 49 484