NC: Booze It & Lose It campaign cracks down on drunk drivers
Labor Day may be over, but the Booze It & Lose It campaign continues.

WXII 12
September 5, 2022

Last year, over Labor Day, law enforcement in North Carolina saw 15 deaths due to alcohol-related crashes.

“Across North Carolina, you can expect to see stepped up law enforcement presence over this couple weeks time at the end of summer,” said Julia Casadonte, communications manager for the Governor’s Highway Safety Program.

The targeted enforcement campaign is funded through grants and spread across the entire state

“You’ll see local town city police departments engaged in this you’ll see county sheriff offices engaged in this as well as the highway patrol,” Casadonte said.

In 2021, 423 people died in North Carolina from alcohol-related crashes; more than one a day.

“It’s a very high number. We’re seeing all the trends going in a better direction in 2022 but we’re still out here, reminding, begging, and imploring people to think twice before making a bad decision,” Casadonte said.

With Uber and Lyft, there are more ways than ever to find a sober ride home.

“Some of the more rural areas don’t have as much access to ride-share services so we encourage having a sober friend or relative someone you can call or making arrangements to stay the night somewhere, just anything you can do to keep yourself from getting behind that wheel,” said Casadonte.

The targeted enforcement campaign will end on Sunday, but organizers said you can still expect to see strong efforts to curb impaired driving in the weeks to follow.