From Dec. 7 to Jan. 2, state and local law enforcement cracked down on driving while impaired during the holiday “Booze It & Lose It” campaign.
A total of 110,692 citations were given out — of those, 3,147 motorists were cited with driving while impaired.
“These numbers show how the efforts of dedicated law enforcement officers across the state are making our roads safe,” said Becky Wallace, director of the Governor’s Highway Safety Program.
According to a press release from the North Carolina Department of Transportation, officers statewide conducted 13,445 sobriety checkpoints and dedicated patrols. Counties with the highest number of DWI citations were Guilford, with 257, Wake, with 246, and Forsyth, with 191.
According to NCDOT statistics, Beaufort County’s numbers came in lower: at two separate checkpoints and during 205 saturation patrols, law enforcement cited 17 motorists for driving while impaired, two of whom were underage. During the campaign as a whole, many more citations were issued: 80 seatbelt violations, seven child passenger safety violations, 17 drug violations, 239 speeding tickets, 31 motorists cited for driving with revoked licenses, 13 uninsured drivers and 4 reckless driving citations.
Of 3,009 fugitives from justice apprehended during the “Booze It & Lose It” campaign, four were arrested in Beaufort County. One stolen vehicle was recovered locally, of the 184 found statewide.
The “Booze It & Lose It” campaign takes place in all 100 North Carolina counties during major holidays and involves most branches of law enforcement. The Governor’s Highway Safety Program was formed to promote highway safety awareness and reduce the number of traffic crashes and fatalities through the planning and execution of safety programs.