Albemarle County Police and Virginia State Police are partnering Thursday for a special St. Patrick’s Day traffic safety initiative. On March 17, 2016, motorists traveling the county can expect to see increased patrols by county officers and state troopers, as well as a DUI Checkpoint in an effort to detect and deter impaired driving.
Widely celebrated across the country, St. Patrick’s Day is one of the deadliest holidays due to the number of drunk drivers on the road. The St. Patrick’s Day holiday period (6 p.m. March 16 to 5:59 a.m. March 18) from 2010 to 2014 saw the loss of 266 lives due to drunk-driving crashes. Drunk driving alone kills more than 10,000 people each year in our country, and every single one of those deaths is preventable.
Albemarle County Traffic Sergeant, Miller Stoddard, said, “These saturation patrols are very beneficial around holidays that involve drinking. Through grants, we are able to put additional officers throughout the county specifically focused on DUI enforcement and traffic safety.”
From 2013-2015, there have been six DUIs, which included two crashes involving alcohol, in Albemarle County over the St. Patrick’s Day holiday.
“Celebrating the holiday is fine, but area residents are asked to do it responsibly,” said Sgt. K.S. Frazier, Virginia State Police Area 18 Office. “Play it safe by never driving even after just one alcoholic drink. Buzzed driving is drunk driving. It’s not worth losing your life or taking someone else’s.”
The rate at which alcohol affects you varies based on factors such as alcohol content, what you are drinking, body weight, food consumption, and how fast you drink. Don’t try to your luck as to whether you can drive after drinking—you can’t. It is illegal. Remember: Driver Sober or Get Pulled Over.
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Chris Graham
