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DCSO Steps-Up DUI Enforcement for St. Patrick’s Day Weekend

St. Patrick’s Day brings to mind shamrocks, leprechauns, pots of gold and good luck. But no amount of luck can save you from a drunk-driving crash. So whether you’re buzzed or drunk on St. Patrick’s Day, it doesn’t matter. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office wants to remind everyone that Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving—drive sober.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, along with other metro area law enforcement agencies, will be deploying roving DUI patrols this St. Patrick’s Day looking to stop and arrest drivers who are impaired by alcohol or drugs. These DUI patrols are, in addition to regularly scheduled patrol officers, all looking for the tell-tale signs of an impaired driver behind the wheel.

In 2014, there were nearly 500 people arrested for DUI in Colorado during the St. Patrick’s Day weekend.  Unfortunately, March 17 has become a deadly day in the United States, with a dramatic spike in drunk-driving fatalities. And we’re not just talking about 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.

Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock 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.