State and local law enforcement spent their holidays keeping impaired drivers off the roads during N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Program’s Booze It & Lose It campaign, which ran from Dec. 11 to Jan. 3. The campaign resulted in 3,074 DWI charges in which 252 were drug related charges and 2,822 were alcohol related.

Nearly 350 law enforcement agencies participated in the campaign issuing 105,020 traffic and criminal citations in addition to the 2,822 DWI charges at 10,914 checking stations and saturation patrols across the state.

The top five counties for DWI arrests during the campaign were: Wake County – 260; Guilford County – 208; Mecklenburg County – 168; Cumberland County – 136;  and Forsyth County – 125.

“It is our goal to reach zero fatalities on our roads in North Carolina,” said Don Nail, director of the Governor’s Highway Safety Program. “I am thankful of the work North Carolina’s law enforcement officers did during the holidays keeping those traveling the states roadways safe, averaging 128 DWI arrests per day during the Booze It & Lose It campaign.”

NC Transportation and Governor’s Highway Safety Program utilized social media during the campaign to complement the increased enforcement efforts, reminding drivers “Don’t Drink and Drive. You’re Smarter Than That.” The campaign recommended drivers to take advantage of the variety of options that are readily available to get home safely after drinking —including calling a friend, using a taxi or ride service, taking public transportation, or designating a driver.

For more information regarding Booze It & Lose It activities and county totals, contact Jonathan Bandy at 919-618-1974 or visit the ncdot.gov/programs/ghsp.

-Submitted by Jonathon Bandy