RALEIGH – Local and state officials are renewing their efforts to crack down on drunk driving.
Raleigh city leaders announced at a Monday press conference the establishment of a new Driving While Impaired Unit the capital city police force will use to curb vehicle crashes involving alcohol or drug use. The press event was held at the City of Raleigh Law Enforcement Training Center.
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Raleigh Police Department DWI Unit is funded with a $553,707 grant from the North Carolina Governor’s Highway Safety Program.
“Far too often, people make poor decisions that have serious and sometimes deadly consequences,” said Mark Ezzell, director of the Governor’s Highway Safety Program. “We’re hopeful this collaboration will reduce the number deaths and serious injuries in the Raleigh area that result from alcohol- and drug-related vehicle crashes.”
Holiday Booze It & Lose It Campaign Launches Also, Ezzell announced during Monday’s press event the start of the Holiday “Booze It & Lose It” Campaign, a statewide anti-drunk driving initiative that couples increased public outreach with enhanced law enforcement efforts. From today through Jan. 4, law enforcement agencies in all 100 counties will step up patrols and sobriety checkpoints to catch impaired drivers and get them off the roads before tragedy strikes, Ezzell said.
Last year, 361 people died in the more than 11,000 alcohol-related crashes that occurred in the Tar Heel State.
Nineteen of those alcohol-related traffic deaths occurred in Wake County. Those figures underscore the need to put more resources into combatting drunk driving. Sadly, many families have personal experience with the impacts of impaired driving.
“My cousin was hit by a drunk driver and paralyzed from the waist down 27 years ago,” Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell said during Monday’s event. “I have seen firsthand how this tragic incident fundamentally changed his life and that of the entire family. I’m grateful to the Governor’s Highway Safety Program for focusing on the devastating impacts of driving while impaired and for this generous grant to help us keep residents in Raleigh safe.”
Educating the public is an important part of reducing the deaths and injuries from impaired driving crashes. On Monday, leaders reminded people to enjoy the holidays responsibly by never drinking and driving, designating a sober driver ahead of any celebrations, or calling a taxi or ridesharing service to get you and your friends home after any festivities.
Raleigh Police Department DWI UnitDuring Monday’s event, Raleigh Police Chief Rico Boyce spoke about the DWI Unit and a task force dedicated to fight impaired driving. The GHSP grant will pay for three officers as part of the DWI Task Force. The funds will also pay for equipment, supplies and training necessary to conduct impaired driving enforcement. The task force will educate Wake County residents about the dangers of impaired driving and the financial toll it can have on victims.
People caught driving drunk can face jail time, loss of driving privileges and an average of $10,000 in fines, towing fees and other expenses.
“The alcohol-related crashes are painful for everyone involved, and they can also be extremely expensive for drivers breaking the law,” Boyce said. “The work of the DWI Unit is centered on stopping the kinds of tragic and entirely preventable incidents that change families’ lives forever.”