Don’t Press Your Luck This St. Patrick’s Day

Columbus – The Ohio State Highway Patrol is urging those who are planning on celebrating St. Patrick’s Day to designate a sober driver.

The Patrol and local law enforcement will work together to remove impaired drivers from the roadways as part of the National Highway Safety Administration’s Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving campaign.

The consumption of alcohol is a common occurrence on St. Patrick’s Day. The popularity of the holiday has also made it a dangerous time to travel on Ohio’s roadways.

In 2018, there was one person killed and an additional 33 people injured on St. Patrick’s Day due to OVI-related crashes. In all of 2018, 394 people were killed and 7,799 were injured in OVI-related crashes. Also in 2018, the Patrol made 26,602 OVI arrests. Troopers have made almost 4,630 OVI arrests in the first two months of 2019.

“We want to encourage all motorists to make plans for a sober ride home before they start celebrating,” said Paul A. Pride, Patrol superintendent. “Planning ahead before you go out is not only the smart thing to do, it’s the right thing to do.”

The Ohio Investigative Unit and other safety partners work to educate the consequences of impaired driving to motorists and over-serving to permit holders. For bars and permit holders, over-serving or serving to underage customers could mean costly fines, suspension or revocation of their liquor permit.

As always, motorists are encouraged to dial #677 to report drug activity or impaired drivers.