Every year, the Fourth of July holiday ranks as one of the deadliest periods on the nation's roads, and that’s why the N.C. Governor's Highway Safety Program has launched its “Operation Firecracker Booze It & Lose It" campaign to promote safe driving.
The annual campaign, which was launched in Emerald Isle this year, uses increased checkpoints and patrols to discourage impaired driving leading up to and after the holiday.
GHSP Director Mark Ezzell said there were nearly 12,000 crashes during the Independence Day period last year, and 176 were alcohol-related crashes. Five people died.
Michael Panzarella, the chief of police for Emerald Isle, is asking drivers who plan to drink to arrange in advance a way to get home safely.
That could mean designating a sober driver or calling a taxi or rideshare service.
