This Saturday is Wichita Falls’ Annual St. Patrick’s Day Downtown Street Festival. Since St. Patrick’s Day is notoriously a holiday filled with celebrations and drinking, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that this is also a dangerous weekend to be on the roadways. An increase in drinking and partying also happens to mean an increase in drunk driving crashes across Texas and the U.S.
Driver Sober or Get Pulled Over: St. Patrick’s Day Edition
The NHTSA’s St. Patrick’s Day campaign wants to remind people that drunk-driving crashes are 100 percent preventable. Local and state law enforcement will likely be out in full force this holiday weekend. Drivers can expect to be pulled over if they’ve been drinking, so be sure to designate a driver.
Drunk Driving on St. Patrick’s Day: Just the Facts
- According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than 269 people were killed by drunk drivers on St. Patrick’s Day between the years of 2007 and 2011.
- 45 people were killed in drunk driving crashes on St. Patrick’s Day in 2011.
- 2/5 of all deaths in crashes between 2006 and 2010 involved a drunk driver during the St. Patrick’s Day holiday.
- In 2010, 80 percent of the St. Patrick’s Day holiday drunk driving deaths involved drivers who were nearly twice the legal limit.
Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving
Equally important, party-goers should note that buzzed driving is drunk driving. It some situations, even one drink can be one drink too many. If you plan on celebrating with alcohol, always find a safe ride home. Getting behind the wheel after a drink or two, when you think you’re okay is a huge mistake.
Get Home Safely
Designate a driver before you head out for the festivities. Since unforeseen circumstances can undoubtedly come up, have a backup plan too! It can be as simple as programming a cab company’s number into your phone. Ask a relative or friend who isn’t celebrating if they would mind being a driver if your ride falls through. Unfortunately, even responsible party-goers can get injured in crashes involving drunk drivers. It’s common to hear about devastating, injury-causing crashes where the impaired driver is left seemingly unharmed. If you or a loved one is injured in a crash involving a drunk driver this weekend or any weekend, contact an experienced personal injury lawyer as soon as possible.