This year’s Labor Day “Booze It & Lose It” campaign, which promised to crack down on suspected North Carolina drunk drivers, contributed to the nearly 2,900 drivers arrested for DWI from Aug. 16 through Sept. 2. We previously wrote about the program, which uses increased law enforcement presence and social media to prevent and address DWI.
Wake County made the highest number of arrests during the campaign, with 257. Guilford County followed with 220 drivers, and next was Mecklenburg County with 181.
Law enforcement officers were also active in issuing other types of citations — they handed out more than 100,000 of them. These included citations for child passenger safety violations, seat belt violations, speeding and drug charges. Officers found 173 stolen vehicles and apprehended almost 3,000 fugitives from justice. It was an intense two-and-a-half week period for North Carolina law enforcement.
Whether a driver has been arrested for DWI or received a citation for a traffic offense, the driver should examine all viable legal options. Speeding tickets, for example, are considered criminal offenses in North Carolina. Drivers who have received speeding tickets will want to seek to have the tickets kept off their records, and the penalties eliminated or reduced.
While speeding tickets must be addressed, charges of DWI carry more serious penalties. North Carolina law provides significant consequences for drivers convicted of DWI, including jail time, fines, loss of license and community service. With some of the strictest DWI laws in the country, North Carolina drivers should act quickly to preserve their rights.
Source: North Carolina News Network, “DWI Campaign Nets Thousands Of Arrests,” Sept. 12, 2013