St. Patrick’s Booze It & Lose It campaign kicks off in Charlotte
A statewide campaign to nab drunken drivers over the St. Patrick’s Day weekend kicked off at BB&T BallPark in uptown Charlotte on Wednesday.
St. Patrick’s Day is Thursday, and many related festivities continue through the weekend.
The holiday has turned deadly in the United States, with a dramatic spike in drunken-driving fatalities, state highway officials said in announcing the St. Patrick’s Booze It & Lose It campaign.
Last St. Patrick’s Day weekend in North Carolina, 11 people were killed in crashes. Four of the wrecks involved a driver or motorcyclist with a blood alcohol level of .08 or higher.
“Before you take a sip of that green beer, we want you to have a plan to get home safely,” said Don Nail, director of the N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Program.
“Buzzed driving is drunk driving,” Nail said. “If you have just one drink, call a taxi, take public transit, app a ride or have a designated sober driver to help you get home safely.”
The campaign will continue through Sunday.
Joe Marusak: 704-358-5067, @jmarusak
This story was originally published March 16, 2016 at 2:01 PM with the headline "St. Patrick’s Booze It & Lose It campaign kicks off in Charlotte."