By Catherine M. Welch
Wilmington, NC – The North Carolina Highway Patrol says seven people were killed in car accidents over the Thanksgiving weekend.
That's down from 21 deaths last year. Local and state law enforcement are already patrolling North Carolina roads in force targeting drunken drivers. The "Booze It and Lose It" campaign kicked off Monday.
Beth Horner with the Governor's Highway Safety Program urges party goers to tap a designated driver or call a cab instead of risking it on the roads.
"It's really easy; it takes probably five minute to plan if you're going to go out and celebrate. So we just ask that people take that time to make sure they do that."
Horner says while thousands of drunken drivers have been pulled over since the program began 14 years ago, it's hard to gauge the program's impact.
There were 165 deadly crashes during last year's holiday season, nearly a third of those were alcohol related. The "Booze It and Lose It" campaign runs thru January 4th.
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