RALEIGH — State and local law enforcement officers will be out in force as part of the Labor Day Booze It & Lose It campaign, according to the N.C. Department of Transportation.
Increased patrols and checkpoints will be in place statewide through Sept. 10 to keep impaired drivers off North Carolina roads.
N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein helped lead a kickoff of the program at the Davidson County rest area off Interstate 85 South.
“Keeping people safe has to be Job 1 for all of us,” Stein said. “If you drink and drive, you will get caught. Protect yourself and others — never operate a motor vehicle if you’ve been drinking.”
The Booze It & Lose It campaign aims to eliminate impaired driving using outreach and stepped-up law enforcement, according to a DOT news release. Nearly every law enforcement agency in North Carolina participates in the 29-year-old campaign.
The campaign is supported by the Governor’s Highway Safety Program, N.C. State Highway Patrol, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and N.C. Alcohol Law Enforcement.
Alcohol is a leading contributor to fatal traffic crashes in North Carolina, according to data compiled by the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles. Between 2017 and 2022, North Carolina has averaged more than one alcohol-related vehicle fatality each day, the DOT news release said. Last year, there were 462 alcohol-related fatalities on North Carolina roads; 16 of those deaths were during the Labor Day period.
“This Labor Day, we want you to plan ahead by arranging a sober ride home from any festivities that might involve alcohol or other impairing substances,” said Mark Ezzell, director of the N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Program, DOT agency. “Law enforcement will be working extra patrols during this campaign to keep all motorists safe by catching those who don’t heed this message. There’s really no excuse.”
To help ease travel over the holiday weekend, DOT is suspending most construction projects along interstates and U.S. routes through Sept. 5, the news release said.
For more information, go to NCDOT.gov.
