More than 2,600 drunken drivers arrested
By Dennis Hill
Published in News on January 15, 2017 1:45 AM
RALEIGH - The annual Governor's Highway Safety Program's Holiday Booze It & Lose It enforcement campaign removed thousands of impaired drivers from roadways. State and local law enforcement arrested and charged 2,664 drivers for driving while impaired, of which 2,400 were alcohol-related and 264 were drug-related.
"The safety of those traveling on our roads is our top priority," GHSP Director Don Nail said. "Removing just one impaired driver from our roads can save a life and during this campaign, law enforcement removed 116 impaired drivers on average each day."
During the four-week campaign, law enforcement agencies across North Carolina issued 108,951 traffic and criminal violations at 8,439 sobriety-checking stations and saturation patrols.
The number of fatalities resulting from an impaired driver dropped 16.7 percent compared to 2015, with 359 deaths in North Carolina in 2016. The Booze It & Lose It education and enforcement campaign has created increased awareness of the dangers of drinking and driving, as well as the penalties associated with driving while impaired for the past 22 years.
"It is encouraging to see that impaired driving fatalities decreased last year. I believe this trend demonstrates that people are becoming more responsible and making the decision to not drive while impaired," continued Nail.
The top five counties for DWI arrests during the Holiday Booze It & Lose It enforcement campaign were: Wake County, 247; Guilford County, 177; Mecklenburg County, 162; Cumberland County, 117; and Forsyth County, 110.
The state Department of Transportation and GHSP reminded motorists to use the mobile website BeSmarterThanThat.com to help them find a safe way home before drinking.
The "Don't Drink and Drive. You're Smarter Than That." marketing campaign aims to prevent impaired driving by reminding our citizens to designate a sober driver, download a ride app, find public transportation options, or call a taxi to get home safe.