GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – The Green Bay Police Department is urging people to plan ahead before going out to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year.
Police ask that you make a decision to either be responsible and designated a sober driver, or decide to drink and drive. Both options have consequences.
The first consequence will see you home later that night and at your job the next day. The second can and often does end in tragic and unintended consequences, horrific and permanent injuries and even death. Not necessarily your own.
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, from 2010 to 2014, saw the loss of 266 lives due to drunk-driving crashes. In 2014, alone, 29 people nationwide were killed in drunk-driving crashes over the St. Patrick’s Day holiday period.
In the last 3 years, the Brown County OWI Task Force has arrested 22 people who didn’t get this message in time For St. Pat’s night. This was 22 opportunities for someone to injure or kill themselves or another member of our community when operating a vehicle while impaired.
Tragically, March 17 has become one of the nation’s deadliest holidays. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, during the 2014 St. Patrick’s Day holiday, more than a quarter (28%) of all motor vehicle crash fatalities involved drunk drivers.
Enough is enough! Take some steps to protect both yourself and your community from this menace. Green Bay has already had two alcohol related traffic fatalities for 2016. We don’t need any more.
- Designate a sober driver – and use them.
- Use public transportation – Taxi, bus etc.
- Plan your ride home before taking your first drink.
- Be the designated sober driver for your friends.
- If you see an impaired driver, report it.
