Traffic ticket or gift card? Raleigh police team with Advance Auto Parts to help drivers in need

A partnership with Advance Auto Parts means officers can help drivers save a few dollars on repairs.

Danese, a customer, came to the store after a series of unfortunate events with her car.

"Somebody stole my tag, and when I went to DMV, I needed to get an inspection to get another tag and my check engine light was on," she explained.

Staff at their Wake Forest Road location helped to solve the engine light issue. What Danese did not know was that Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson was there with a $25 gift card.

"It’s going to help you out to get that car repair done," said Patterson.

It’s the second year of an Advance Auto Parts' partnership with police departments across the country during the holiday season. The company has given Raleigh Police Department $5,000 worth of gift cards to distribute.

"The officers can pull somebody over for a non-moving violation, maybe a broken tail-light, headlight, and then they can choose to give the motorist, instead of walking up with a ticket, they give you a gift card," explained Elisabeth Eisleben, Advance Auto Parts senior vice president of communications and community affairs.

Patterson understands that many drivers face financial challenges especially this time of year.

"They think about, okay, I have to make a decision between paying for the repair or paying for the citation the officer has issued," she said. "That’s a huge burden on people."

The store’s employees figured out the problem with Danese’s engine light issue.

"They told me what it was, and then I got a gift card so I just bought some stuff to put in my gas," she said.

Sometimes, just $25 can come in handy.

"It did today. It did," said Danese.

Patterson said the larger goal is to help more motorists be compliant with the law for the cause of safer roads.