As St. Patrick Day celebrations get underway, State Police and local law enforcement will be on stepped up DWI enforcement details from today through Monday Marth 18.
Drivers can expect a number of sobriety checkpoints, additional DWI patrols, underage drinking and sales to minors details during the campaign. State Police will also be ticketing distracted drivers who use handheld electronic devices.
“State troopers will be out in force and highly visible this weekend, and as always, will have zero tolerance for drinking and driving,” State Police Acting Superintendent Keith M. Corlett said. “Make safety your number one priority, plan ahead now for a sober ride home, and don’t be a risk to yourself or others who are out on the roads.”
During the 2018 St. Patrick’s Day weekend enforcement effort, troopers made 243 arrests for DWI and issued nearly 13,000 tickets.
St. Patrick’s Day is one of the deadliest holidays due to the number of drunk drivers on the road. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the St. Patrick’s Day holiday period from 2013 to 2017 saw the loss of 234 lives due to drunk-driving crashes.
In 2017 alone, 59 people, 37 percent of all crash fatalities, were killed in drunk-driving crashes over the St. Patrick’s Day holiday period.
Between midnight and 5:59 a.m. March 18, 2017, 75 perent of crash fatalities nationwide involved a drunk driver.
Drunk driving kills more than 10,000 people each year in our country. One person every 53 minutes dies of an alcohol related crash and every one of those deaths is preventable.
Choosing to drive drunk can ruin or end your life or someone else’s.
This St. Patrick’s Day, if you drink and drive, you face jail time, the loss of your license, a higher insurance rate, and dozens of unanticipated expenses. An impaired driving charge carries a maximum fine of $10,000.
Here are some tips if you plan to tip a few back:
- Before the festivities begin, plan a way to safely get home at the end of the night.
- Before you start drinking, designate a sober driver and leave your car keys at home.
- If you’re impaired, use a taxi or ridesharing service, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation so you are sure to get home safely.
- If available, use your community’s sober ride program
If you see a drunk driver on the road, call local law enforcement. You could save a life.
The “Have a Plan” mobile app, is available for Apple, Droid and Windows smartphones. The app enables New Yorkers to locate and call a taxi service and program a designated driver list. It also provides information on DWI laws and penalties, and a way to report a suspected impaired driver.
