Drivers warned about St. Patrick's Day drinking and driving

By Mike Morris

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Highway safety officials are warning St. Patrick's Day revelers who enjoy too much of the green beer today not to drink and drive on what has become one of America's most popular drinking holidays.

"Whether you're meeting a few friends after work at the pub or on a road trip to a mega-party like Savannah's famous St. Patrick's Day parade, if alcohol is part of your plans, never drive after drinking," said Bob Dallas, director of the Governor's Office of Highway Safety.

In St. Patrick's Day in 2008, 37 percent of the drivers and motorcyclists involved in fatal crashes had a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or above, the legal limit for intoxication, according to Jim Shuler, spokesman for Dallas' office.

That year, the latest for which numbers are available, there were 134 crash fatalities nationwide on St. Patrick's Day. Out of that number, 50 were killed in wrecks that involved at least one impaired driver.

"Driving impaired is simply not worth the risk," Dallas said. "Not only do you risk killing yourself or someone else, but the trauma and financial costs of a crash or an arrest for DUI can exceed your imagination."

Cobb County police Sgt. Dana Pierce said his department's DUI Task Force would be working in conjunction with the multi-agency Metro Atlanta Traffic Enforcement Network and the Governor's Office of Highway Safety, "doing periodic license checks at undisclosed locations throughout the evening hours of St. Patrick's Day."

The Atlanta police DUI Task Force will also be "out in full strength," spokesman Eric Schwartz said Wednesday morning.

Dallas offers several safety tips for St. Patrick's Day revelers:

• Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin.
• Before drinking, designate a sober driver and leave your car keys at home.
• Before you party, program local cab company numbers into your cell phone so a safe ride is just a call away.
• Pace yourself. Avoid drinking too much alcohol too fast. Eat enough food, take breaks and alternate with non-alcoholic drinks.