NC: Mecklenburg ABC Board to Deploy Initiatives to Curb Irresponsible Alcohol Consumption

KISS 95.1 FM
By Alexis Zarycki
November 17, 2021

Point blank, don’t drink and drive Mecklenburg County! Drinksgiving. Drunksgiving. Blackout Wednesday. Thanksgiving Eve. Whatever you call it, the night before Thanksgiving is a time when people of all ages go to local watering holes for drinks with friends.

According to SCRAM, makers of alcohol monitoring technology, all that alcohol (Upserve says there were 173% more shots sold on Thanksgiving Eve than the Wednesday prior!) and reckless driving combine to make the night before Thanksgiving the most dangerous time to be on the road, particularly in more urban areas. These initiatives are planned by the Mecklenburg County ABC Board this holiday season to combat overserving of alcohol, underage drinking, and drunk driving.

The goal of the Mecklenburg County ABC Law Division is prevention and avoiding an incident before it’s an accident, whether it’s taking keys away without giving tickets, providing a ride home to safety, or helping find rehabilitation services.

Safe Streets Program

The officers visit bars or other establishments where alcohol is served in order to intercept potential drivers before they get behind the wheel. Agents make other arrangements for the subject to get home if it appears that the subject is legally drunk, either when voluntarily taking a breathalyzer test or by some other means. Mecklenburg County ABC Boards often pay for Uber or Lyft drivers.

ASSET (Alcohol Seller/Server Excellence Training) Program

Mecklenburg County ABC Law Enforcement Division offers a FREE program to ABC-permitted establishments to educate employees about alcohol possession and sale. Program topics include underage sales, acceptable forms of identification, and preventing overserving.

Undercover Program

Under the supervision of officers, high school students with responsible backgrounds attempt to purchase alcohol undercover at various establishments.