St. Patrick’s Day Luck Won’t Get You Home Safely

Many people celebrate St. Patrick’s Day each year with leprechaun hats, green beer, and meeting up with friends at bars and pubs. Unfortunately, statistics show that St. Patrick’s Day also often ends with risky drunk drivers taking to the road. DUI’s, alcohol violations, and alcohol-involved crashes spike on the holiday each year.

The consumption of alcohol impairs your reasoning, thinking and coordination-all vital to operating a vehicle safely, and even a small amount of alcohol can affect driving ability.    According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving.  If you plan to go out and celebrate the holiday with alcohol, make sure you refrain from driving.

“Another fact to remember,” said Lori Peck, grant coordinator at the Garrett County Health Department, “is that a DUI costs on average about $10,000 in attorney’s fees, fines, court costs, lost time at work, and higher insurance rates.”

To protect yourself and others, celebrate with a plan:

• Designate a sober driver
• Limit yourself to one drink per hour, and alternate drinking water
• Eat a meal before you go out, and snack during your night
• Never ride in a vehicle with an intoxicated driver
• Never let a friend drive drunk

“St. Patrick’s Day has been rated one of the deadliest holidays on our nation’s roads,” Peck said.  “Don’t drive if you celebrate with alcohol, and share the word about the dangers of drunk driving so we can all enjoy many more St. Paddy’s Days to come.”

Visit kNOwDRINKING.net for tips to become a more informed, healthier and safer you.

Cutline: Olivia Summerfield of Kitzmiller gears up for St. Patrick’s Day and reminds everyone to make it a safe celebration. Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving.

By Diane Lee, Public Information Officer, Garrett County Health Department