Thank you, Don.

It's a pleasure to represent Secretary Tippett and the entire Department of Transportation here this evening.

I'm particularly glad to see Lieutenant Governor Perdue with us.

And it's good to look out and see so many law enforcement officers that are committed to getting impaired drivers off our roads.

Drunk driving is truly a plague on this nation, and in this state.

As Don said earlier, 465 people lost their lives last year because of a drunk driver.

North Carolina's DWI fatality rate remains significantly lower than the national rate, but that's small consolation to the families of victims.

The fact that so many lives are lost in preventable crashes is unacceptable -- and I promise you that North Carolina will never let up in the battle to put an end to drunk driving.

Law enforcement officers across the state have been dedicated in their effort to stop impaired drivers from causing mayhem on our roadways.

They worked together these past few weeks in support of "Booze It & Lose It."

That campaign officially ended yesterday, but this fight never ends.

You can count on officers to continue their vigilance through the important holiday travel period, and throughout the coming year.

Despite our tough laws and strict enforcement, too many motorists continue to make the deadly decision to drink and drive.

This is especially true of young motorists.

While most people arrested for impaired driving offenses are adults, statistics clearly show that the number of under-age impaired offenses are on the rise.

Last year, nearly 4,000 people ages 16 to 20 were arrested for driving while impaired.

During the 2000 summer and fall "Booze It & Lose It" campaigns, more than 500 underage people were charged with DWIs.

Because of such dangerous driving habits, many families will be without loved ones this holiday season.

Last year, about 27 percent of all traffic deaths - 465 of 1,563 - were related to drug or alcohol use.

Forty-four of those deaths involved impaired drivers ages 15 to 20.

When you leave home to travel during this holiday season -- and during every other time -- please keep in mind a few tips to help keep you and your family safe:

• Never drink and drive.
  
• If you choose to drink, also choose a designated driver.
• Always use your seat belt -- and make sure everyone in the car is buckled up, too.
  
• North Carolina law requires all children up to age 16 to buckle up -- no matter where they ride in the car.
  
• Children up to age 5 must ride in a child safety seat, in the back seat.
  
• Failure to adhere to these laws can result in two points being added to your driver's license.
  
• All children should be buckled up in the back seat, which is the safest place to ride.
  
• And NEVER place an infant in a rear-facing safety seat in front of an air bag.

I hope everyone enjoys a safe and happy holiday season.

Let's all work together to keep our roads safe.

Thank you.