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This Labor Day holiday, several organizations are joining the Governor’s Highway Safety program to help curb impaired driving.

Over the 2019 holiday week, 10 people died and almost 600 were injured as a direct result of impaired driving across our roadways. In addition, 66 lives were claimed due to speeding, and distracted and sleepy driving.

Also working to stop impaired driving are the North Carolina Trucking Association, the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety, the North Carolina Highway Patrol and members of more than 500 law enforcement agencies across the state.

In Dare County, law enforcement agencies started Wednesday, Sept. 2 with a saturation patrol.

Officers with Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, Duck, Manteo, Dare County Sheriff and State Highway Patrol concentrated on getting impaired drivers off the road. Two motorists were charged with impaired driving.

“I’ve seen a lot of bad decisions made behind the wheel; people getting dressed, texting, reading the newspaper and putting on makeup,” said D. Luke Mallory, road team captain with the North Carolina Trucking Association. “Some are even using prescription drugs, illegal substances and drinking while driving.”

North Carolina truckers travel about 7.7 billion roadway miles of the 111.9 billion driven annually by all motorists. Trucking industry positions account for about one in 16 jobs in the state.

“Impaired and dangerous driving affects me and the other hard-working men and women who have been stretched thin working hard to replenish our supply chains,” Mallory said. “I’m personally asking people this Labor Day to make better decisions behind the wheel.”

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