RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) - Law enforcement from across the state kicked off their statewide "Holiday Booze It and Lose It" campaign at WakeMed Hospital in Raleigh on Monday with a goal of cracking down on drunk drivers this holiday season.

Family members and friends of victims of drunk driving crashes gathered to remember loved ones lost, including the Campbell family, who died early this year in a crash on Memorial Day.

They also remembered Sgt. Ryan Hayworth of the Knightdale Police Department, who died in 2021 after a drunk driver crashed into his patrol car.

"The holidays are supposed to be about our families, our faith, our friends... they're not supposed to be about tragedy," said Mark Ezzell, director of the Governor's Highway Safety Program.

He says in 2023, they saw nearly 400 crashes caused by impaired drivers, and 22 of those happened around this time last year.

"That number ought to be zero," said Ezzell. "This is a perfectly preventable crime."

Law enforcement urges those who plan on drinking over the holidays to have a plan in place and use rideshare programs like Uber and Lyft.

"Impaired drivers are a ticking time bomb, impaired drivers represent and eminent assault against the safety of the motoring public," said Knightdale Police Chief Lawrence Capps

The "Holiday Booze It and Lose It" campaign runs until Jan. 5.