North Carolina Gov. Announces Over 550,000 Traffic And Criminal Citations Issued During 2007 Highway Safety Campaigns

By newsdesk - Posted on January 27th, 2008

Increased Patrols Lead to 35 Percent More Traffic and Criminal Citations

1/25/2008 -- Raleigh - North Carolina Governor Mike Easley announced today there were 559,588 traffic and criminal citations issued by state and local law enforcement officers across North Carolina during “Click It or Ticket” and “Booze It & Lose It” campaigns last year. That is a 35 percent increase from the 414,351 citations issued in 2006. Officers conducted more than 46,000 checkpoints and patrols during the 2007 campaigns, a boost of more than 64 percent from 2006.

“Law enforcement agencies ramped up their checkpoints and patrols and it paid off,” Easley said. “I want to thank each agency for its participation in these lifesaving campaigns and urge citizens to buckle up, slow down and not drive after drinking.”

Last year’s total includes 15,303 driving while impaired arrests and 64,481 occupant protection citations for safety belt and child passenger safety violations. Officers also issued 184,969 speeding violations and located 3,701 fugitives from justice.

Additionally, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that North Carolina's 2007 safety belt usage rate increased 2 percent to 88.8 percent, its highest rate ever.

For the first time last year the Governor’s Highway Safety Program joined forces with the N.C. Highway Patrol to address speeding. In conjunction with the Patrol’s “Operation Slowdown,” local law enforcement agencies participated in “No Need 2 Speed,” a high visibility enforcement campaign aimed at encouraging drivers to slow down and follow the speed limit.

For statewide citation totals from the 2007 “Click It or Ticket” and “Booze It & Lose It” campaigns, county-by-county breakdowns and a comparison chart with numbers for 2006 and 2007, contact the Governor’s Highway Safety Program at (919) 733-3083 or visit their web site at www.ncdot.org/programs/ghsp.

Source: North Carolina Governor

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