“If they just slow down and be careful ... that’s going to cover the big things,” Miller said this morning.

Miller said the Highway Patrol expects North Carolinians to take to the roads in great numbers, despite high gas prices.

Fourth of July weekend is one of the busiest of the year, with people flocking to the coast, the mountains and backyard barbecues, he said.

It’s also one with a higher-than-usual number of drivers who have been drinking, Miller said.

The Highway Patrol will start its Booze It and Lose It campaign today, with checkpoints in every county to catch drunken drivers and other violations, he said.

Miller gives these tips for a safe weekend:

• Obey posted speed limits.
• Don’t drink and drive. If you are drinking have a designated driver.
• Wear safety belts, and be sure to properly secure children in passenger and safety seats.
• Allow extra space between your car and the one in front of you, especially on interstates. A rule of thumb is one car length for every 10 mph.
• Be careful in construction zones, which have lower-than-normal posted speed limits.

The N.C. Department of Transportation’s Web site lists several interstate and U.S. routes where motorists can expect construction delays.

They include I-40/85 North and South in Guilford County; I-85 South in Guilford County; I-40 East and West in Burke and McDowell counties; U.S. 64 East in Wake County; U.S. 74 in Richmond and Scotland counties; and U.S. 74/76 East in Columbus County.

For more information on state-maintained roads in any region, go to www.ncsmartlink.org on the World Wide Web, click on “real time travel information” and choose a county or route number.

There, drivers can find out what’s happening on a particular road, including lane closings and traffic backups.

In addition to its normal enforcement, the Highway Patrol is targeting 25 highways for heightened visibility and enforcement this weekend, a press release said.

The Department of Transportation and the Highway Patrol have identified 25 state and federal highways with the most Fourth of July weekend crashes in the last five years.

Mecklenburg County has three of the top 25:Interstate 85, Interstate 77 and U.S. 74, which many people take to Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Along with I-85 in Mecklenburg, the top five highways for crashes are N.C. 58 in Carteret County; I-40 in Guilford County; I-95 in Robeson County; and U.S. 70 in Carteret County.