"Be a Saint" and drive sober

St. Patrick's Day not only bring to mind shamrocks, leprechauns, pots of gold and good luck. March 17 also brings to mind green beer, Irish whiskey and heavy drinking.

During the St. Patrick's Day holiday period from 2009 to 2013 there have been 276 drunk driving fatalities in the country according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Every one of those lives was lost because of bad decisions. Unfortunately, March 17 has become a deadly day in the United States, with a dramatic spike in drunk-driving fatalities. And it's not just a little bit too much to drink here; from 2009 to 2013, almost three-fourths of the drunk-driving fatalities on St.Patrick’s Day involved drivers who were twice the legal limit.

In order to prevent statistics such as these, El Dorado County DUI Task Force will be deploying roving DUI patrols on Tuesday, March 17. Regularly scheduled officers will also be looking for impaired drivers on the roads of South Lake Tahoe.

The El Dorado District Attorney’s Office offered this advice to partygoers: “Get ahead of the decision this year. If you know you’re going to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with alcohol, then figure out a plan ahead of time for how you’ll get home. Don’t wait until you’re too buzzed to decide, and don’t let your friends drive drunk.” Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving, so if you have anything to drink, count on a sober friend, taxi, or public transportation to drive you home safely. Not drinking? Maybe this St. Patrick’s Day, you’ll be the saint who drives your friends sober.

Let’s make 2015 different. If you plan on drinking, either have a designated driver or make plans to take a taxi.

It's not just drunk drivers that El Dorado County District Attornye's office will be watching for. Recent statistics reveal that 30 percent of drivers in fatal crashes had one or more drugs in their systems. A study of active drivers showed more tested positive for drugs that may impair driving (14 percent) than did for alcohol (7.3 percent). Of the drugs, marijuana was most prevalent, at 7.4 percent, slightly more than alcohol.