RALEIGH, N.C. — Drivers heading to Halloween parties across North Carolina this week will find more officers watching for impaired motorists, as the state’s Booze It & Lose It campaign runs from Monday, Oct. 26, through Sunday, Nov. 1.
Police departments and sheriff’s offices in all 100 counties are taking part, adding patrols and setting up sobriety checkpoints, according to the Governor’s Highway Safety Program, which leads the effort. State and local officials announced the crackdown last week at the State Fair, inside its Safety City display.
The push comes after a deadly year on state roads. The N.C. Department of Transportation counted 387 deaths tied to alcohol and another 105 tied to drugs on North Carolina roads in 2025.
Last year’s Halloween version of the campaign ended with 594 people arrested for driving while impaired.
Program director Mark Ezzell said impaired driving is preventable and urged people to settle on a way home before the celebrations start. State Health Director Dr. Larry Greenblatt, chief medical officer for the state Department of Health and Human Services, added a warning that many people underestimate how much alcohol or other substances slow their reactions, and asked residents not to ride with an impaired driver either.
Officials suggest naming a sober driver ahead of time, booking a taxi or rideshare, or lining up another safe ride. Anyone who spots a driver who seems impaired should back off to a safe distance and call law enforcement once it is safe to do so.
The enforcement runs alongside the state’s Don’t Play With Death safety messaging, aimed at getting drivers to think about the consequences of risky behavior behind the wheel.
Section: More Raleigh NC crime news
Filed under: Raleigh NC Public Safety News
