Asheville police take part in statewide Booze It & Lose It drunk driving crackdown

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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Press release here. Be careful out there:

ASHEVILLE – Asheville police will once again take part in the statewide Labor Day Booze It & Lose It campaign, set to run Aug. 20-Sept. 6.

Booze It & Lose It is an initiative of the Governor’s Highway Safety Program that zeros in on drunken drivers through checkpoints and stepped-up patrols in an effort to take impaired drivers off the roads.

Drivers are guilty of DWI if their alcohol concentration meets or exceeds .08, or they are under the influence of, or affected by, alcohol and/or other drugs.

North Carolina law imposes a $4,000 maximum fine for DWI offenses. It also includes the following:

* “Zero Tolerance” for underage drinkers, and drivers of commercial vehicles, school buses and day care vehicles

* 30-day administrative driver license revocation for those who refuse to take the Intoxlilyzer breath alcohol test or who have 0.08 blood alcohol concentration or 0.01 BAC if underage

* Allows vehicle seizure and forfeiture for a driver who is impaired and whose license is revoked for DWI, or who is impaired and has no license and no insurance

For statewide data on Booze It & Lose It and other Governor’s Highway Safety Program initiatives, go here.