A statewide highway patrol campaign begins Monday in attempt for law enforcement to keep roadways safer.
St. Patrick’s Day ‘Booze It & Lose It’ takes place March 11-17 to deter impaired drivers.
Patrols and driver checkpoints will increase across North Carolina, a focus on rural roads, according to a press release from the state transportation department.
Stats provided by NCDOT total 229 alcohol-related crashes and five fatalities occurred on North Carolina roads during last year’s St. Patrick’s Day campaign.
In all of 2023, there were more than 12,000 alcohol-involved crashes and 367 deaths.
“Because St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Sunday this year, we anticipate that alcohol consumption will increase both on the 17th and the weekend leading up to the holiday,” N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Program Program Director Mark Ezzell said in a press release. “Don’t take a chance. Designating a sober driver or using ride-sharing services and public transportation is the only safe alternative.”
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