Deputies begin St. Patrick’s Day Booze It and Lose It operations

NEW HANOVER COUNTY (WWAY) — Drinking and driving this Saint Patrick’s day could put you between a shamrock and a hard place.

Instead of green, New Hanover County Sheriff’s deputies will celebrate the holiday with blue and red, setting up DWI checkpoints around the region and encouraging locals to celebrate safely.

“We don’t want anyone to take the chance or run the risk,” said Sergeant Evan Luther. “If you’ve been drinking, prepare and plan to have a safe way home.”

Though the legal blood alcohol content limit is .08 in North Carolina, reaching that level can feel different to everyone depending on height, weight, and other factors. According to Mark Anderson, an impaired driving specialist, the more you drink, the harder it can be to tell if you’re drunk.

“When they’re at about a .05 almost exclusively they will recognize that they shouldn’t be driving and they will tell us they shouldn’t be driving,” Anderson explained. “When we dose them up to about a .08, we’ll ask the very same person the same question and they’ll say, ‘yeah, I feel fine.'”

That’s why on holidays, Sheriff’s deputies use BAT mobiles, Breath Alcohol Testing vehicles. First, they test drivers suspected of drinking on their balance and coordination, then their breath alcohol content. Deputies also travel with a magistrate onboard BAT mobiles, sometimes leading to swift arrests.

“Most of the people that come on this truck under arrest under law enforcement will tell law enforcement, I didn’t think I was drunk,” Anderson said.

Even if you blow less than .08, you can still be arrested on impaired driving charges. Alcohol mixed with narcotics or prescription drugs can still make drivers a danger.

Anderson remembered when he pulled a women over who blew below a .08. “The lowest guilty plea here in Wilmington when I was an officer was .03. She hit seven cars.”

That’s why instead of relying on the luck of the Irish this week, make ride plans ahead of time, keeping yourself and those around you safe.

Anderson continued, “What I tell people is the legal limit is zero. If you don’t drink and drive, I promise you are not going to be charged with alcohol based driving while impaired.”