In order to deter impaired driving, the North Carolina Governor’s Highway Safety Program began to run their Booze It & Lose It campaign today through January 1, 2024. 

All across North Carolina, there will be increased patrols and checkpoints to detect impaired drivers. 

Last year, 471 people were fatally injured in alcohol-related motor vehicle accidents in North Carolina alone. 

Enjoy the holidays and some yummy holiday spirits, but please utilize a designated driver, a taxi, Uber, or Lyft, in order to make sure not to turn a good time into a tragedy for yourself or others.

However, if you or someone you know receive a traffic ticket or any other criminal charge in New Hanover, Pender, or Brunswick Counties, or if you or someone you know get seriously injured in an accident at which they were not at fault, call Collins Law Firm at 910-793-9000 for a confidential consultation about what we can do to help you.

By Jana H. Collins

Mark Ezzell, the director of the NC Governor’s Highway Safety Program, stated “If you plan on going out and celebrating the holiday season, make sure you plan ahead to have a sober driver take you home. If you drive impaired, you have a lot to lose. Not only could you kill yourself or someone else, you could be facing thousands of dollars in court costs and fines, jail time, and a revoked driver’s license.”

From December 12^th, 2022, to January 1^st, 2023, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol is running their “Booze It & Lose It” holiday campaign. The campaign will consist of increased patrols and checkpoints in an effort to apprehend impaired drivers from getting behind the wheel.

The 2021 “Booze It & Lose It” campaign data from the North Carolina Department of Transportation reflects that New Hanover County had a total of 25 checkpoints and patrols and 46 total DWI arrests, Pender County had a total of 51 checkpoints and patrols and 14 total DWI arrests, and Brunswick County had a total of 18 checkpoints and patrols and 37 total DWI arrests.

As of December 2022, there has been a total of 432 alcohol or drug-related accidents resulting in deaths. The ”Booze It & Lose It” campaign targets impaired drivers in an effort to prevent that total from increasing before the beginning of the new year.

The NC Governor’s Highway Safety Program recommends travelers stay safe on the roads this holiday season by following a few simple tips:

• Do not drive impaired and plan ahead by obtaining a sober driver
• Wear your seatbelt when riding in any seat in the vehicle
• Follow the speed limit

Should you or someone you know receive criminal charges resulting from driving while impaired or any traffic law violation in New Hanover, Pender, or Brunswick Counties, call Collins Law Firm at 910-793-9000 for a confidential consultation about what we can do to help you.

By Cheyenne M. Hensley, Legal Assistant

With the celebration of Halloween, the holiday season begins.  According to the Highway Safety Program, Halloween is among the most dangerous times a year for traffic accidents.  Halloween parties and trick-or-treat events invite individuals to come out, and the chances for drunk driving and pedestrian accidents increase. 

With the statewide Booze It & Lose It campaign which began on October 24, 2022, and will last through October 31, 2022, the Governor’s Highway Safety Program is aiming to discourage drivers from operating a car after consuming alcohol.   There will be increased law enforcement patrolling our roads, and sobriety checkpoints will be set up.

It is very dangerous to drive distracted or impaired.  But especially on Halloween with excited kids darting out in the middle of the street or simply crossing without looking, all drivers should be vigilant, keep their eyes on the road and be prepared to stop.

If you plan to go out and enjoy alcoholic beverages, please have a designated driver, use a taxi, Uber, or Lyft.  Please make sure not to turn a good time into a tragedy for yourself or others.

Also keep in mind, a charge of driving while impaired can be expensive. People charged with DWI can lose their license and may have to pay thousands of dollars in court fees and increased insurance premiums.

Have a good time this weekend and be safe!

By Jana H. Collins

As Halloween Weekend 2020 approaches, the Governor’s Highway Safety Program’s annual Booze It & Lose It Campaign is in full swing through early next week. The campaign partners with law enforcement across the State to not only enforce traffic laws by setting up sobriety checkpoints in all 100 counties, but to also raise awareness and educate the public on how dangerous it is to drive distracted or impaired.

Since October sets off the holiday season, it is considered one of the deadliest months of the year with respect to traffic accidents, according to the Highway Safety Program. As individuals head out to go to costume parties and trick or treating, there are higher chances for drunk driving and pedestrian accidents.

In addition, this weekend marks the end of Daylight Savings Time in North America, so we get an extra hour to party, eat candy, and watch Halloween movies, but do not forget to turn your clocks back an hour!

Also, as COVID restrictions continue to be enforced, some individuals may wonder how they can celebrate Halloween safely, and with minimal social contact with others who are not in their household. Some creative ideas could be to wear a Halloween face mask to pass out candy, or to make individual candy bags for trick or treaters to pick up on their own. Another idea could be to transform your front yard into a candy graveyard, leaving the candy around a path for kids to collect. There are also printable signs online that you can hang on your door to inform your neighbors that you are safely passing out candy this year.

We hope that everyone has a fun, but safe, Halloween weekend! However, if you find yourself in need of an attorney because you or someone you know has been hurt in an accident, or was charged with a traffic violation or crime in New Hanover, Pender, or Brunswick Counties, call Collins Law Firm at (910) 793-9000 for a confidential consultation about how we can help you.

By Karen M. Thompson, Paralegal

This past Memorial Day weekend, Wilmington officials reported numerous traffic violations and accidents. According to news sources, there were approximately six deadly crashed that occurred throughout the state, one of which tragically took the lives of a newborn and toddler in Pender County. In all, seven people lost their lives in these accidents over the weekend. Half of these incidents occurred in the Cape Fear region. The number of fatal crashes has reduced since last year, however, one life lost is still one too many. Always wear your seatbelt and be alert and aware of your surroundings.

Efforts to improve motor vehicle safety were noted over the weekend as well. State troopers reported close monitoring of speed in Brunswick County, issuing around one dozen tickets for speeding. Highway patrol reported giving an additional 160 citations in the Cape Fear region this weekend alone.

Last Saturday night, the Wilmington Police Department hosted a checkpoint at the intersection of Market Street and 15^th Street, leading to over 70 charges. Out of these charges, 10 were DWI related.

If you or someone you know is in need of representation for a traffic offense, please give Attorney David Collins a call. With over 20 years of experience, we are able to help you in most matters! Call us at 910-793-9000.

By Brittany L. Bryant, Legal Assistant at Collins Law Firm

This upcoming weekend is Memorial Day Weekend.  While Memorial Day is a day to remember and honor those who lost their lives while serving our country in the United States Armed Forces, many take this longer weekend as an opportunity to travel.

The cheery weather forecast may motivate travelers to visit our local beaches this weekend, causing increased traffic and crowded roads.

As part of the Governor’s Highway Safety Program “Click It or Ticket” which launched on Monday, May 20, 2013, law enforcement officers across the state will increase patrols over the holiday weekend and will cite patrons not wearing seat belts.

The Wilmington area’s law enforcement unfolded the campaign last Wednesday by setting up checkpoints on Randall Parkway, New Centre Drive, Eastwood Road near the Wrightsville Beach drawbridge, and Airlie Road and issued close to one hundred citations for traffic infractions and other crimes including seat belt violations, texting while driving, speeding, driving with no operators license, and simple possession of marijuana.

We urge you to obey the law and stay safe.  However, if you or someone you know receive a traffic ticket or get charged with a crime in or around Wilmington, NC in New Hanover County, Brunswick County (Bolivia, NC), or Pender County (Burgaw, NC) call Collins Law Firm at: 910-793-9000910-793-9000 for a confidential consultation.

By Jana H. Collins, Office Manager

The holiday season is in full swing and so is the North Carolina “Booze It & Lose It” Campaign, created by State Transportation Secretary Gene Conti in an effort to remove impaired drivers from the road and keep our citizens safe. Checkpoints and increased patrol began on December 6th and will continue through January 2, 2013, to help reduce the rising number of alcohol related crashes, injuries and fatalities state wide.

Driving while under the influence is a violation of North Carolina General Statute § 20-138.1

N.C.G.S. § 20-138.1.  Impaired driving.
(a)        Offense. – A person commits the offense of impaired driving if he drives any vehicle upon any highway, any street, or any public vehicular area within this State:
(1)        While under the influence of an impairing substance; or
(2)        After having consumed sufficient alcohol that he has, at any relevant time after the driving, an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more. The results of a chemical analysis shall be deemed sufficient evidence to prove a person’s alcohol concentration; or
(3)        With any amount of a Schedule I controlled substance, as listed in G.S. 90-89, or its metabolites in his blood or urine.
(a1)      A person who has submitted to a chemical analysis of a blood sample, pursuant to G.S. 20-139.1(d), may use the result in rebuttal as evidence that the person did not have, at a relevant time after driving, an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more.

Last year, 3,600 North Carolina Drivers were charged with DUI / DWI during the month long holiday campaign and that number is expected to increase this year. Not only does drinking and driving put you at risk of getting arrested at a checkpoint or during a traffic stop, it puts your life and the lives of others in danger.  In fact, drunk drivers with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08, the legal limit, are 11 times more likely than a sober driver to be in a motor vehicle accident. This likelihood increases with the increase of the BAC level.  With odds like that, why risk it?

In 2011, there were more than 950 alcohol related crashes in North Carolina during the “Booze It & Lose It” Campaign spanning from December 3rd – January 3rd. Those 950 crashes resulted in 44 fatalities and 702 injuries- some of which were innocent victims and not the drunk driver themselves.

If you find yourself questioning weather you had too much eggnog at your office holiday party, don’t risk getting arrested or worse, endangering your life or the lives of others. Play it safe and call a cab or have a sober friend take you home.  If you or someone you know have any legal needs this holiday season call Collins Law Firm at (910) 793- 9000(910) 793- 9000.

By Lauren Seidel, Paralegal

The Fourth of July celebration is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, hot dogs, picnics, and other parties.  Also, it is a day where many Americans will be consuming alcohol.

As North Carolinians across the state flock to the Southeastern North Carolina coast to celebrate the 4^th of July Weekend, the state has begun “Booze It & Lose It: Operation Firecracker” to deter drunk drivers across the entire state and remove impaired drivers from the roads.  Operation Firecracker began Monday, June 27, and continues through Monday, July 4.

Operation Firecracker is conducted by the North Carolina Department of Transportation and it coordinates the Highway Patrol, sheriff’s offices and police departments.  During this period there will be additional checkpoints and stepped up patrols that will be conducted across the state.

The Fourth of July holiday is considered one of the deadliest for highway travel.  In 2010, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation, there were 205 alcohol-related automobile accidents during the Independence holiday, which resulted in six deaths.  Additionally, alcohol-related crashes also accounted for 105 injuries in the state during the same week last year.  During the 2010 “Booze It & Lose it: Operation Firecracker” campaign officers conducted more than 4,600 patrols and checkpoints, which resulted in more than 1,200 North Carolina motorists being charged with driving while impaired.

This means there will be an increased police presence at the beaches in Pender, New Hanover, and Brunswick Counties.  The beaches that will be affected will be Surf City, Topsail Beach, Wrightsville Beach, Kure Beach, Carolina Beach, Holden Beach, Ocean Isle Beach, and Sunset Beach.

Collins Law Firm always urges people not to drive while impaired.  If you consume alcohol, we encourage you to have a designated driver or to take a taxi home.  However, if you are charged with a DWI/DUI, underage drinking, or any other crime in or around Wilmington, NC in New Hanover County, Brunswick County (Bolivia, NC), or Pender County (Burgaw, NC) and need a lawyer or attorney to represent you, call Collins Law Firm at: 910-793-9000 for a confidential consultation.

Americans were not discouraged by high gas prices, which at $3.77 a gallon was one dollar a gallon higher compared to last year, and took to the road this past weekend in enormous numbers to celebrate Memorial Day Weekend.  According to a  AAA report 34.9 million travelers journeyed at least 50 miles from home, which was an increase of 100,000 travelers compared to the same weekend last year.  The report declared that 41 percent of the people traveling in the South Atlantic region went to a beach.

In North Carolina that meant that people came to our beautiful beaches up and down the coast.  North Carolinians spent the holiday weekend at the beaches in Pender County, New Hanover County, and Brunswick County.  The beaches in our area that saw a dramatic rise in population this past weekend was Surf City, Topsail Beach, Wrightsville Beach, Kure Beach, Carolina Beach, Holden Beach, Ocean Isle Beach, and Sunset Beach.

The increase in driving led to more dangerous conditions on the roads.  The roadways going to and from the beaches had many traffic jams because so many people descended on the beaches in our part of the state.  In addition to more cars clogging the roads, people were more likely to be drinking and driving.  The North Carolina Highway Patrol announced that at least nine motorists died during the Memorial Day Weekend.  Last year, eleven motorists died and 358 people were injured in car accidents.

The Star News (Major newspaper in Wilmington, NC) published before the holiday weekend that the Wilmington Police Department would host a multi-agency traffic checking station on Sunday afternoon and evenings.  Officers involved in the operation will target impaired driving as well as underage possession of alcohol, open containers of alcohol, or failure to use seatbelts.  It is highly recommended to find experienced attorneys or lawyers to help you if you were caught in one of these checkpoints.

If you were hurt in a car accident, or you were charged with any crime or issued a traffic citation during the Memorial Day Weekend in or around Wilmington, NC scheduled for court in New Hanover County, Brunswick County (Bolivia, NC), or Pender County (Burgaw, NC), you should contact a lawyer or attorney at Collins Law Firm at 910-793-9000 for a consultation.