Dwi Charges Decline Over Holiday Period

Between Dec. 14 and Jan. 2, there were 2,029 people charged with drunk driving North Carolina during the Booze It or Lose It campaign, more than 400 fewer than in the previous year’s event. Authorities believe that there were a variety of reasons for the drop of nearly 20 percent. They said that ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft reduced the number of drunk drivers.

However, the latest decline is part of a trend that has seen fewer people taken into custody for DI over the past several years. Therefore, some say that it is part of an overall culture change. Authorities also alluded to a possible link between the number of checkpoints in a given area and the number of impaired drivers seen in a given area. In Wake County, 163 people were charged with drunk driving.

That was the highest number among counties that took part in the program, but Wake County also had 269 checkpoints and monitoring areas. Wake County was one of two that had more than 100 drunk drivers taken into custody. In Mecklenberg County, 93 people were charged with drunk driving during the campaign but only had one-third the number of checkpoints. Both counties have a population of about one million people.

Drivers in Charlotte, North Carolina, who are charged with drunk driving may lose their license if convicted. They could also spend time in jail and pay a fine on top of other court costs. Those who refuse to take blood or Breathalyzer tests could also be sent to jail or face a license suspension. An attorney could take steps to get a charge reduced or dismissed such as casting doubt on the validity of a sobriety test.