RALEIGH – Law enforcement officers are stepping up patrols as part of the statewide “Booze It & Lose It” holiday enforcement effort that starts today and concludes Jan. 2.   

“If you’re out celebrating this holiday season, make sure you have a sober ride home,” said Mark Ezzell, director of the North Carolina Governor’s Highway Safety Program, or NCGHSP. “If you drive under the influence, you have a lot to lose. Not only could you kill yourself or someone else, but you could face thousands of dollars in court costs and fines, jail time, or a revoked license.”

The “Booze It & Lose It” holiday effort is the largest impaired driving campaign run by the N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Program. Throughout the campaign, law enforcement agencies statewide will increase patrols looking for impaired drivers.

NCGHSP will be supporting the campaign through a combination of paid media advertising and social media outreach. 

So far this year, 432 people have been killed in North Carolina in alcohol- or drug-related crashes. Here's how that compares to the number of people killed in impaired crashes over the same time period dating back to 2018:   

The N.C. Governor's Highway Safety Program reminds all travelers to stay safe on the roads this holiday season by:

• Never driving impaired and always finding a safe ride home

• Buckling your seatbelt when riding in any seat in the vehicle

• Following the speed limit

For more driver safety tips and program information, follow us @NCGHSP on Facebook and @NC_GHSP on Twitter and Instagram.