From SAFE COMMUNITIES OF WOOD COUNTY
St. Patrick’s Day has become one of the nation’s most popular times to celebrate and party. Unfortunately, too many people are taking to the roads after drinking alcohol, making this holiday also one of the most dangerous. In fact, St. Patrick’s Day is one of the deadliest holidays on the road our nation’s roads.
During the 2012-2016 St. Patrick’s Day holiday period (6 p.m. March 16 to 5:59 a.m. March 18), 269 lives were lost due in drunk-
driving crashes. In 2016, drunk driving killed more than 10,000 people in our country, and every single one of those deaths was preventable. To keep the roads safer, Wood County Safe Communities is reaching out with an important life-saving message and warning: Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving.
If you plan to celebrate with alcohol this St. Patrick’s Day, follow these tips to stay safer:
Before celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, decide whether you’ll drink or you’ll drive. You can’t do both.
If you’re planning on driving, commit to staying sober. If you’ve been out drinking and then get behind
the wheel, you run the risk of causing a crash or getting arrested for a DUI.
Help those around you be responsible, too. Walking while intoxicated can be deadly, as lack of attention
could put you at risk of getting hit by a vehicle.
If someone you know is drinking, do not let him or her get behind the wheel.
If you see someone who appears to be driving drunk, pull over to a safe location and call the police.
Your actions could help save a life.
Remember this St. Patrick’s Day: Plan Before You Party! Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving.
