St. Patrick's Day this year falls on a Saturday, so those wearin' the green are likely to be out in force with a day of revelry. A safety official says law enforcement will also be watching for those who party too much and drive.
Director of Transportation Safety at the Department of Transportation, David Pabst ....
"...it's falling on Saturday this year, so we're a little concerned there's going to be a little extra revelry and celebrating. We want people to plan ahead and keep in mind we want everyone to get home safe...."
He says law enforcement will be watching closely....
"....there will be State Patrol officers, city, county, all the local(departments) will be out as well. We're not trying to make more arrests, but what we do want people to do is to voluntarily comply. If you feel buzzed, you're probably over the .08 limit so just make arrangements to have a safe ride home..."
Several Northwoods counties have Safe Ride Home programs that give a cab ride to patrons who make arrangements at their local establishments.
During one St. Patrick's Day, 59 percent of all traffic fatalities that occurred during the evening of St. Patrick's Day to the early hours of the following morning, involved drivers with blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) of .01 and higher. Of those, 89 percent involved a driver with a BAC of .08 or higher.
