Click It or Ticket. For Real.
First Sergeant Brandon Craft and Master Trooper Darrell Hugh said their main focus is to prevent drunk driving. The state officers arrived on Thursday, and will work as many hours as necessary over the weekend, said Sergeant Craft.
"If we stop one wreck, and save one person, then we've accomplished our goal," said Craft. Within an hour of starting patrol, they stopped a man going 76 in the 25 mph zone heading into the village, and found him to be legally intoxicated.
As of Saturday afternoon, three DWI citations have been issued. "We stop people for violations of the law," said Craft. "We're not here to pick on locals, we're here to make things safer," he said.
Some locals disagree. One man said all the blinking lights in the village made it feel like Christmas time.
Hotel owner Byron Miller said highway patrol stops too many people and leaves vacationers with a sour taste. "It's like shooting fish in a barrel," he said.
I signed a consent form allowing me to ride along with Sergeant Craft, in his unmarked black sedan with the air conditioning on full tilt. During the hour we spent together, we traversed the strip between the village and the Campground, stopping two cars for seat belt violations and one for speeding.
By the time Craft spun around, and flashed his lights, the drivers had latched their seat belts. "That happens a lot. It's too late now," said Craft.
Troopers only write seat belt violations if they are 100% confident the driver was not belted, said Craft. This weekend is national Click It or Ticket time, and drivers will receive citations that cost $161. The fees are set by the NC General Assembly. The revenues from tickets written by troopers go to the county school system.
Our scud around the village was interrupted to stop a man for driving the wrong way on the shoulder while exiting a confusing island parking lot. The driver was given a warning. Craft laughed and shook his head when I asked if we could track down someone I know to pull over.
If you are stopped by a trooper, expect to be asked if you've been drinking alcohol. Two drivers he stopped said they had, in fact, had a beer earlier in the day. Sergeant Craft filled me in on this as he pulled a breathalyzer from his back seat.
He looks pretty composed to me, I commented. Craft concurred. "I'm going to check and see if he's all right, and then I'm gonna let him go," he said. After being breathalyzed and passing a quick field sobriety test, Craft wrote the man a warning, told him to have a happy vacation, and we were on our way.
Each time he stopped a vehicle, Craft removed his sunglasses and slipped on his hat. He reversed this process when he settled back in behind the wheel. "I don't like to talk to the public wearing glasses," he said. "I like to look people in the eye. It's a sign of respect for them and for me."
Troopers constantly scan for seat belt use, for weaving cars, and for speeders, said Craft. "When we see a violation we stop and deal with it," he said. Most DWIs are discovered this way.
If you are wearing your seat belt and following the rules of the road, you don't have to worry about being pulled over, emphasized both Craft and Pugh, who served as a deputy on Ocracoke during the summers of 1996 and 1997.
"Our presence makes people think," said Craft. He encourages residents to stick with the habit of wearing seat belts and driving at or below the speed limit even when troopers aren't on the island.
Sergeant Jason Daniels of the Hyde County Sheriff's Department said it helps to have two extra set of eyes during busy holiday weekends. As head of the Washington, NC Highway Patrol District, Craft decides when to send troopers to the island.
Daniels said troopers from Dare also come to Ocracoke at least once a week during the summer season.
The mission of the NC Highway Patrol is to "protect lives and property, ensure safe and efficient travel on North Carolina roadways, and to reduce the number of collisions," said Craft. The Sheriff's Department does a different job. While highway patrolmen are glad to assist the Sheriff's office with domestic situations or stolen property, that is outside of their mission.
Sergeant Craft said he couldn't do his job in good conscience if he didn't believe it benefits the public. "I really think we're making Ocracoke safer, that we're accomplishing that." He thinks that many locals "put up a wall" against highway patrolmen and "judge us before we get here."
Craft said he hopes people will try to understand the work troopers do. "If my car and my presence make someone walk" rather than drive after drinking, then his trip to Ocracoke was successful.
Is walking the only option after drinking? It is not out of the question to get a DWI while biking, said Craft, who said those tickets are written when safety is clearly at risk.
I pointed out my car to the officer (Please don't pull me over!), he dropped me off, I belted myself in, headed home and parked the Honda for the night. Craft left to join forces with NPS Ranger Shane Bryan for a driver's license check on Highway 12.
Buckle up and drive between the lines. You've been warned!
