Find A Sober Ride Home Before the Party Begins
For many Americans, St. Patrick’s Day has become a popular holiday to celebrate with friends and family. Unfortunately, due to the large volume of impaired drivers, the entire day has also become very dangerous.
Impaired driving is one of America’s deadliest problems. This St. Patrick’s Day Maryland’s State Highway Administration (SHA) is teaming up with and providing support to local and state law enforcement agencies to keep Maryland’s roads safe and free of drunk drivers.
Maryland Chiefs of Police Association, the Maryland Sheriff’s Association, and SHA are encouraging motorists and St. Patrick’s Day revelers to practice personal responsibility when planning their holiday activities. All three agencies also announced their joint efforts with federal, state, and local highway safety and law enforcement officials to double impaired driving enforcement efforts on St. Patrick’s Day. Federal funds administered by SHA’s Safety Office support Maryland law enforcement, which will conduct saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints tomorrow in addition to extra enforcement efforts conducted last weekend.
“We’re pleased to have the education and outreach support that SHA brings to the table for this historically dangerous holiday,” said Sheriff Mike Evans, President of the Maryland Sheriff’s Association. “For those who think they have the luck of the Irish on their side, if you decide to drive drunk, you’ll learn firsthand that our education responsibilities come in the form of handcuffs and jail time.”
Following these easy steps, drivers can enjoy a safe St. Patrick’s Day without jeopardizing their life and the lives of the others:
Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin
Visit
www.DUIisForLosers.com to learn of Maryland’s safe alternatives to driving drunk
Before drinking, please designate a sober driver and give that person your keys
If you’re impaired, use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation so you are sure to get home safely
Utilize Baltimore’s free Tipsy?Taxi! service or DC’s Sober Ride program; more information can be found by calling 1-877-963-TAXI or by going to either
www.freecabrides.org or
www.soberride.com If you happen to see a drunk driver on the road, don’t hesitate to contact your local law enforcement by calling 911 or #77
And remember, if you know someone who is about to drive or ride while impaired, take his/her keys and make other arrangements to get him/her home safely.
“Don’t push your luck on St. Patrick’s Day or any day of the year by driving drunk,” said SHA Administrator and Governor’s Highway Safety Representative Neil J. Pedersen. “If you don’t harm yourself or others, you could easily end up in jail and spending a pot of gold in fines and legal fees.”
On St. Patrick’s Day 2008, 37 percent of the drivers and motorcyclists involved in fatal crashes had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .08 or above, according to statistics by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Statistics indicate that there were four fatalities and more than 200 crashes on Maryland’s roads during St. Patrick’s Day weekend in 2008. Nationally134 people died in St. Patrick’s Day crashes 50 of whom were killed in traffic crashes that involved at least one driver or motorcyclist with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher.
“While our officers typically focus on identifying impaired drivers during St. Patrick’s Day festivities our crash and injury data support the need to focus additional efforts on high volume pedestrian corridors” said the Maryland Chiefs of Police Association president, Chief George Johnson IV. “We’re also encouraging motorists to be alert for impaired pedestrians.”
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