North Carolina Tests Alcohol Monitoring Bracelets To Combat Impaired Driving
North Carolina Department of Transportation officials announced an upgraded “Booze It And Lose It” campaign that will initially be tested in western North Carolina.
Seven western North Carolina counties will participate in the enhanced program, which involves fitting offenders with Continuous Alcohol Monitoring (CAM) bracelets. The devices are able to detect the presence of alcohol in a person’s sweat.
According to WLOS-TV, the CAM bracelets are aimed at stopping repeat impaired driving offenses while subjects are awaiting trial.
“Western North Carolina was chosen because of its history of working collaboratively across counties to accomplish a common goal,” said Mark Ezzell, director of the North Carolina Governor’s Highway Safety Program. “If this pilot project is successful — and we expect it to be — it’ll change how we work to prevent impaired driving both in North Carolina and across the country.”
Alcohol-related highway deaths have been on the increase over the past few years. North Carolina saw 463 fatalities as a result of impaired driving in 2018. That number jumped to 503 in 2021.
Officials hope the enhanced “Booze It And Lose It” pilot program will reduce repeat offenders and increase accountability.
The NCDOT touts “Booze It And Lose It” as one of the nation’s most effective anti-drunk-driving campaigns, saying it has created increased awareness of the dangers and consequences of drinking and driving.
