WORTHINGTON -- Along with the leprechauns and the wearing of the green comes other St. Patrick's Day staples -- corned beef and cabbage, shamrocks, Irish stew and green beer. But nothing goes worse with green beer than a DWI chaser.
In the past five years, 1,392 people were arrested for driving while impaired on St. Patrick's Day in Minnesota, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. In 2006 alone, three out of the four deaths on St. Patrick's Day were caused by impaired drivers.
The Minnesota State Patrol urges St. Patrick's Day revelers to designate a driver for their festivities or have some kind of transportation plan for a safe and sober ride. Minnesota State Troopers will be stepping up patrols in search of those who drink too much and get behind the wheel on Saturday.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), St. Patrick's Day is one of the deadliest holidays in terms of drunk driving related fatalities. In 2004, 45.5 percent of the traffic fatalities in the week of St. Patrick's Day were alcohol-related. That is a higher percentage than New Years Eve.
In 2005, 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. This year, the risk may be even greater since St. Patrick's Day festivities will take place on a Saturday.
ADVERTISEMENT
Without a designated driver, St. Patty celebraters could end up dead, injured or arrested for DWI.
Most DWI arrests happen because an officer or deputy notices a driving error, such as swerving over the center line, crossing the fog line or not coming to a complete stop.
Once the vehicle is pulled over, the driver may be asked if he or she has been drinking. Law enforcement officials are well trained when it comes to spotting the clues that may lead to a DWI arrest. Indicators could be the way the driver acts while being questioned or the smell of alcohol.
When it is determined that a driver may be under the influence, an officer will use a variety of field sobriety tests, including walking heel to toe, balancing on one foot and reciting the alphabet. The tests check hand-eye coordination and motor function, which deteriorate when a person drinks alcohol. Many people who thought they were sober enough to drive are surprised later to see video of themselves performing the tests badly.
If the officer administering the tests determines the driver is impaired, he or she will be placed under arrest, which may be followed by being patted down and handcuffed. They are placed in the back of a squad car and brought to the law enforcement center. An Implied Consent form is read to them, explaining why they have been arrested.
Whether they are sober enough to understand the significance of the form and its consequences is not an issue. The Supreme Court says being drunk is not a defense for driving drunk.
Next, the individual is given a blood test, which may be a breath, blood or urine test. This test determines the BAC.
Most of the time, the next step is being booked into jail, which means being fingerprinted, taking a shower, dressing in bright orange clothes and getting placed in a cell until a judge approves release.
ADVERTISEMENT
DWI violators can face jail time, the loss of their driver's license, higher insurance rates, attorney fees and more. The average cost to face DWI charges in court can vary, depending on legal fees, public defenders and more. And there is always the risk of having a vehicle forfeited.
Drunk driving is one way to ruin an otherwise fun St. Patrick's Day, so if you're going to drink green beer, designate a driver.
And that is no blarney.
