The 100 Counties in 100 Days campaign was a new initiative by NCDHHS’ Forensic Tests for Alcohol (FTA) Branch and other traffic safety partners to increase Driving While Impaired (DWI) awareness across the state by providing Breath Alcohol Testing (BAT) mobile units in all 100 North Carolina counties during the 100 Deadliest Days of Summer — the period of time from Memorial Day to Labor Day when fatal vehicle crashes increase.
The 100 Deadliest Days of Summer is especially dangerous for teenagers, who are 16 percent more likely to be involved in a fatal crash during this time period, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The BAT mobile units not only had a presence in all 100 counties during the 100 Deadliest Days of Summer, but they also conducted a total of 204 High Visibility Engagement Events, such as DWI Checking Stations, saturation patrols, border-to-border events, as well as on the road on the water initiatives across the state.
In addition to these events, the BAT Program organized 59 educational traffic safety presentations in 29 counties. The result of these joint efforts removed more than 472 impaired drivers from North Carolina roadways, and educated more than 20,000 people on the dangers of impaired driving and the consequences associated with DWI.
“The number of lives this Traffic Safety Initiative has positively impacted is immeasurable,” said Jason Smith, NCDHHS’ statewide BAT-mobile coordinator. “We know that by working together on this initiative with all of our traffic safety partners, we made North Carolina a safer place to be during the 100 Deadliest Days of Summer.”
This achievement would not have been possible without the support and assistance of all FTA Branch staff, the North Carolina Governor’s Highway Safety Program, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, all North Carolina County Sheriff’s Offices, as well as all of North Carolina’s state, local, and city law enforcement professionals.
BAT-mobiles are operated by the Forensic Tests for Alcohol Branch, a division of NCDHHS. The units allow law enforcement to conduct breath alcohol and other sobriety tests, are fully equipped with the instruments and forms necessary for a law enforcement officer to test and process a driver arrested for an impaired driving offense, and even have office space for a magistrate to operate in order to make the process of charging an impaired driver more seamless.
The N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Program provides grant funding to NCDHHS each year to operate seven units statewide.
