Local Groups Attempt To Crack Down On Underage Drinking

Drunk teens behind the wheel pose a big safety concern. Two local organizations have developed a new campaign to crack down on the problem.

The Century Council,

a nonprofit group dedicated to fighting drunk driving and underage drinking, has created signs displaying slogans like "No ID, No Way" and distributed them to local ABC stores free of charge. Some of the signs use comedy to deter underage alcohol purchases, such as the one that reads: "I would card my own mother."

Quizzes about current or cultural events also may be utilized, said The Century Council spokesman Tommy Hopper.

"If you don't know who shot J.R., or if you think J.R. is Junior, then you're probably going to be carded," Hopper said. "If you think a turntable is a piece of furniture, then you can prepare to be carded."

In addition to The Century Council's efforts,

the Wake County Alcohol Beverage Control

is stepping up efforts to deter underage purchases.

"We have plainclothes officers working in plain cars doing enforcement, trying to detect underage purchasers in and around stores," said Joel Keith of Wake County ABC, "trying to detect adults who are 21 buying it for people who are underage. We'll take enforcement action against those individuals as well."

According to the National Traffic Safety Administration, traffic fatalities in North Carolina go up on Memorial Day, and about 55 percent of them are alcohol-related.