Ride Along: How law enforcement across NC are keeping roads safe from impaired drivers

WRAL News wanted to know how this year's "Booze It & Lose It" campaign was going and take a deeper dive into how many arrests have been made this holiday season. A deputy, a 911 dispatcher and her son and a bicyclist were all killed within weeks of each other - all by drunk drivers. The string of high-profile deaths comes as law enforcement cracks down on DWIs. WRAL News wanted to know how this year’s "Booze It & Lose It" campaign was going and take a deeper dive into how many arrests have been made this holiday season. We rode with Sergeant Matthew Morrison with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol to get a better feel for how busy law enforcement has been on the campaign. No matter where we traveled, officers were out looking for impaired drivers. “We are looking for a host of things," said Morrison. "People driving aggressively, we are looking for people who are swerving [or] weaving. People who run stop signs and stop lights, things of that nature.” The "Booze It & Lose It" campaign includes highway patrol, police departments and sheriff's offices across North Carolina; This collection of law enforcement is watching at all times of day and all times of the night. “Impaired drivers drive all day, all the time. 24/7,” said Morrison. This comes at a critical time. On Friday, a Cumberland County deputy was hit and killed by a drunk driver, Oscar Yovani Bolanos-Anavisca Jr. The week before, in Rocky Mount, a 911 operator and her 3-year-old son died after a driver under the influence crossed the center turn lane into the path of the mother and her child. And investigators charged a 33-year-old man for being grossly impaired after he hit and killed a bicyclist on highway 98 in Durham. "Impaired driving is one of the leading causes of death on our roads," said Mark Ezzell, Director of NC Highway Safety. "Last year we had the highest number of fatalities since 1973." The latest numbers, and the latest victims, are the reason why Morrison is looking for those under the influence. "If you are driving impaired in Wake County there is a good chance a trooper will get you," promised Morrison. The campaign stops the first week in January - just after the holidays wrap up, but with some busy travel days ahead of us law enforcement is watching. Subscribe to WRAL:    / wral5   Follow WRAL: Facebook:   / wraltv   Twitter:   / wral   IG:   / wral   About WRAL-TV: WRAL is your Raleigh, North Carolina news source. Check out our videos for the latest news in Raleigh, local sports, Raleigh weather, and more at https://WRAL.com #localnews #northcarolina