Submitted

With many festivities taking place to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, the Kansas Department of Transportation encourages everyone to remember the dangers of impaired driving and have a sober driver or alternative transportation secured before heading out on the road.

“St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Friday this year, which can increase the number of people consuming alcohol over the weekend,” said Gary Herman, KDOT Behavior Safety Manager. “By simply making plans to getting home safely before the celebrations begin, we can improve safety and help save families from a completely preventable heartbreak.”

In 2021, 143 people were killed in alcohol-suspected crashes in Kansas, and 61 people were killed in crashes that involved a blood alcohol content level of 0.08 and greater. The “Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving” safety campaign reminds drivers that impaired driving is not only illegal, but also a matter of life and death.

“It’s fun to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day, not handcuffs, so have your designated driver selected well in advance,” Herman said. “If that’s too hard to find, then utilize a ride share program. In today’s day and age, there are many convenient ways to get home safely.”

If you’re the designated driver, make sure you keep that promise of safety to yourself and your passengers. People are counting on you, not to mention the other drivers, passengers and pedestrians. Take the role of designated driver seriously.

For more information about the “Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving” campaign, visit www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving.