Welcome to mcdowellnews.com. Skip directly to: our Keyword Search, Section Navigation, Content.

mcdowellnews.com - The McDowell News

HomeNewsEntertainmentSportsLifestylesOpinionCommunityWeather Online Tools Jobs | Real Estate | Shopping | Classified

Authorities on the road, on the water to keep holiday a safe one

By Richelle Bailey | The McDowell News

Published: July 2, 2009

Law enforcement officers want folks to have a bang-up time this holiday but not literally.
State and local authorities will be out in full force on the roads and waterways throughout the weekend in an attempt to ensure that motor vehicle and boating laws are being observed.
N.C. Highway Patrol troopers will be conducting Booze It & Lose It: Operation Firecracker and Operation CARE (Combined Accident Reduction Effort) during the Fourth of July holiday period, which began at 6 p.m. Thursday and runs through midnight on Sunday.
Booze It & Lose It targets impaired drivers and CARE is a high-visibility effort designed to prevent crashes and ensure compliance with motor vehicle laws.
"I have instructed our troopers to crack down on traffic violators on our interstates and to apply strict enforcement to those motorists who are traveling at dangerous speeds or in a careless manner," said Col. Walter J. Wilson Jr., commander of the Highway Patrol. "Our troopers will be looking for aggressive drivers, drunk drivers and other violators while patrolling throughout the state during the holiday week."
Capt. Ricky Crisp of the McDowell County Sheriff's Office said the department will put extra deputies on the road this weekend just to conduct checkpoints. In addition, two deputies will be patrolling Lake James by boat to ensure safety on the water.
Traditionally, the July 4 holiday weekend is one of the busiest times on North Carolina waterways, according to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.
In the wake of last weekend's Operation Dry Water campaign, where officers arrested 44 boaters for driving while impaired across the state and cited numerous others for lack of required safety equipment, operating in a hazardous manner and lapsed registration, wildlife officers are reminding water-goers of the rules:
-- Operating a recreational vessel while under the influence of an impairing substance or with a blood-alcohol concentration of .08 is illegal.
-- Boats approaching within 100 feet of a law enforcement vessel displaying flashing blue lights must slow to a no-wake speed. In narrow channels, the distance is within 50 feet.
-- State law requires children younger than 13 to wear a proper life vest while on any recreational vessel that is underway.
-- Boaters can report accidents and violations by calling toll free (800) 662-7137.
"Most recreational boaters are safe and responsible," said Lt. Todd Radabaugh, a wildlife officer in Pender County and the state's lead instructor for boating-under-the-influence detection training. "They know the dangers of drinking and boating. Those who don't are more like to be involved in an accident. Curbing alcohol-related accidents and fatalities is the key to safer and more enjoyable recreational boating."
Back on the roads, the N.C. Department of Transportation has suspended most road construction projects on interstates and N.C. and U.S. highways until 9 a.m. Tuesday.
The DOT offers the following travel tips:
-- Leave early to get a head start on your drive and travel at non-peak times.
-- Stay alert. Even though workers may not be present in the majority of work zones, drivers may encounter narrowed lanes and traffic shifts.
-- Be patient and obey the posted speed limit. The penalty for speeding through a marked work zone is $250.
-- Use alternate routes, when possible, to avoid traffic congestion.
-- Call 511, the department's free travel information line, or visit www.ncdot.gov/traffictravel for travel information.
According to the N.C. Department of Crime Control and Public Safety, eight people died and 634 were injured in wrecks on state highways over the Fourth of July holiday period last year.
Citizens can report crashes, drunk drivers, stranded motorists or other highway situations to the Highway Patrol by dialing *HP on their cell phones.