Over the holidays, many people celebrate with alcohol. Being aware of this fact, law enforcement authorities often increase their DWI enforcement efforts during the holiday season.

North Carolina's annual Booze It & Lose It campaign runs every year from December 3 through January 2. The campaign targets drunk driving awareness and reduction in North Carolina. During this timeframe in 2010, police officers charged over 3,800 individuals with impaired driving.

The ongoing initiative to educate the public about this campaign and charge impaired drivers has led to a decrease in the number of DWI arrests in parts of North Carolina. For example, the Kannapolis Police Department has only charged six motorists with drunk driving on New Year's Eve since 2006. Kannapolis attributes these results to the continued effort to post numerous sobriety checkpoints throughout the year.

Similarly, on New Year's Eve last year, four individuals were charged by the Concord Police Department and the Cabarrus Sheriff's Office charged ten drivers.

Police officers on the road during the holidays are especially active in looking for suspected drunk drivers. During North Carolina's Booze It & Lose It campaign in 2010, 1,017 alcohol-related crashes occurred, causing 31 deaths and 728 injuries.

We haven't seen any news reports detailing specific arrest numbers for the 2011 Booze It & Lose It campaign yet, but some reports indicate that DWI arrests were down. According to at least one North Carolina bail bonding company, New Year's Day 2012 was a relatively slow day for drunk driving arrests.

Although DWI enforcement efforts gain significant attention over the holidays, drunk driving arrests happen every day of the year in North Carolina. People who are facing DWI charges face the possibility of jail time, fines and a suspension of their licenses. For people who are facing these serious criminal charges, experienced criminal defense attorneys are available to help.

Sources: Independent Tribune, "Local law enforcement plan New Year's Eve checkpoints," Michael Knox, Dec. 27, 2011

Wwaytv3.com, "DWI's "not prevalent" this New Year's says local bail bonding company," Cliff Pyron, Jan. 1, 2012