Photo courtesy of Lawyer.com

RALEIGH – Authorities say law enforcement officers are out in full force across North Carolina to catch drunken drivers.

The Department of Transportation says the Labor Day “Booze It & Lose It” campaign kicks off this weekend and runs through Sept. 2.

The director of the Governor’s Highway Safety Program says young adults often celebrate with alcohol as they say goodbye to summer and head back to school. Don Nail says the campaign is designed to remind them they should designate a sober driver, call a cab or take public transit.

New public service announcements are running on television and social media.

The transportation agency says there were nearly 11,000 alcohol-related crashes in North Carolina last year. More than half of them involved drivers between 18 and 34 years old.