CHARLOTTE, N.C. — If you plan on drinking at your next holiday celebration, you should prepare to have a designated driver.
The N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Program will launch its annual Holiday "Booze It & Lose It" campaign on Monday.
The holiday season is the deadliest time of year on North Carolina roadways, according to authorities.
"If you plan on drinking, have a plan. There's no excuse to get behind the wheel after you've been drinking," AAA Carolinas spokesperson Tiffany Wright said.
Law enforcement agencies across the state will focus on finding drunk drivers and getting them off the streets. It's all in an effort to raise awareness of the dangers and consequences of drinking and driving.
"We talk about these type of holidays, unfortunately, that does lead to drunk driving, that leads to fatalities that we see on our highway," said Wright said.
In 2018, there were 202 total crashes due to drunk driving across the state. 13 of those crashes resulted in deaths. A recent study ranked North Carolina 7th worst in the country for drunk driving.
Visit WCNC for more details.