WAYNESVILLE – The N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Office and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety are partnering to refresh the classic “Booze It & Lose It” marketing campaign to reduce impaired driving.
Leaders of each agency, plus local and state law enforcement, gathered at the historic Haywood County Courthouse on Wednesday to unveil a new Booze It & Lose It campaign that will be tested across a seven-county region in western North Carolina.
“Western North Carolina was chosen because of its history of working collaboratively across counties to accomplish a common goal,” GHSP Director Mark Ezzell said. “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.”
This “Booze It & Lose It” revamp pilot project will bring fresh communication tools, new technologies and expanded partnerships to our impaired driving prevention and enforcement effort.
“Progress has stalled in our efforts to end impaired driving, both in North Carolina and across the U.S.,” IIHS President David Harkey said. “With the revamped Booze It & Lose It campaign, we’ve devised a new strategy based on the latest research to move the needle forward. Over the course of this year, we’ll be evaluating the success of this strategy in western North Carolina.”
There are four key components to the pilot program which started Jan. 1 and runs through the year:
• New Communications: emphasizing the human costs of impaired driving, along with a new ad campaign that includes an updated logo, print, broadcast, online and social media components.
• New Partnerships: court officials, treatment centers and local media will work together in collaborative ways to eliminate impaired driving in western North Carolina.
• New Tools: expanding the use of tools such as Continuous Alcohol Monitoring devices and training partners on how they can help reduce repeat offenses and save lives through education, enforcement and treatment.
• New Training: campaign partners will train law enforcement, court officials and others on topics such as alcohol treatment options, new alcohol surveillance techniques, and new ways to use data to address impaired driving before it happens.
“North Carolina has always been a leader in addressing impaired driving,” Ezzell said. “We look forward to testing the new program and saving lives here in the mountains.”