On March 17th, everybody’s Irish. In fact, more than 34 million Americans are of Irish descent. If you are one of the millions who will be celebrating your heritage this St. Patrick’s Day, please celebrate responsibly.
Nearly three fourths of all traffic fatalities that occurred from 2010 to 2014 during the St. Patrick’s Day holiday period (6 pm March 16 to 5:59 am March 18) involved drunk drivers. This accounted for a total of 266 lives lost that could have been prevented.
There is, however, encouraging news. 2013-2014 saw an overall decrease in traffic fatalities over St. Patrick’s Day. Hopefully, public awareness and personal responsibility will account for a continuance of this downward trend. In an effort to work toward the elimination of traffic fatalities, remember to plan ahead. Designate a sober driver or arrange for a safe ride before you go out. If you are the sober driver, stay away from the green beer. Even if you only plan to drink “a little”, you can get a “buzz”. “Buzzed Driving” IS drunk driving. Stay lucky. Drive or ride sober St. Patrick’s Day and every day.
