MDOT Shares Tips On Safe Driving For St. Patrick’s Day

JACKSON, Miss. (PRESS RELEASE) – As one of the country’s most popular holidays, St. Patrick’s Day has long celebrated the roots of 34.2 million Americans with Irish ancestry, and many more who just want to partake in the festivities.

The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) wishes everyone a great St. Patrick’s Day and urges anyone who decides to drink alcohol to remember: Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving.

“MDOT wants everyone to have fun this St. Patrick’s Day weekend,” said MDOT Executive Director Melinda McGrath.

“Our goal is zero deaths on Mississippi roadways, and with a little forethought and planning ahead, we can move closer to reaching this goal.”

Unfortunately, March 17 has become one of the nation’s deadliest holidays.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), during the 2014 St. Patrick’s Day holiday period, more than 28 percent of all motor vehicle crash fatalities involved drunk drivers.

The early hours of March 18 didn’t fare much better: between midnight and 5:59 a.m., nearly half of all crash fatalities involved drunk drivers.

In fact, from 2010 to 2014, almost three-fourths of the drunk-driving fatalities during this holiday period involved drivers who had blood alcohol contents (BACs) well above the 0.08 limit.

Of those crashes, 266 resulted in fatalities.

Walking while intoxicated can also be dangerous, as lack of attention could put you at risk of getting hit by a vehicle or other accidents.

If you are attending parades or festivities, be mindful of your surroundings and help others if you see them being careless especially around roads and vehicles.

While these numbers are tragic, that number of fatalities over the holiday period has actually decreased from 2013.

On St. Patrick’s Day in 2013, 32 lives were lost to drunk driving.

Almost a quarter of all traffic fatalities were drunk-driving related in 2014, which was a decrease from 2013 when more than a third of all crash fatalities involved drunk driving.

“We are greatly encouraged by the downward trend in fatalities,” said McGrath. “However, we want to encourage everyone to plan ahead before they celebrate. Designate a sober driver beforehand; don’t wait until you’ve already been drinking. Even one drink is dangerous if you are behind the wheel of a car.”

Let’s make 2016 safer. Use this party-planning checklist to stay safe this St. Patrick’s Day.

• PARTY PREPARATION: Designate a sober, reliable driver to get you home safely. Find the name of a taxi company (or two), and keep their numbers in your phone, or download the NHTSA SaferRide app.
• ON ST. PATRICK’S DAY: Before you take your first sip of green beer, leave your keys at home or give them to a friend. Ensure your designated driver has committed to a sober evening. If you’re the designated driver, do not drink. Your friends are relying on you, as are the people with whom you share the road.
• EVERY DAY: First, commit to driving sober today, St. Patrick’s Day, and every day.. Also keep a taxi service’s number in your phone and be sure to utilize one, or several, of the many taxi service applications like the NHTSA’s SaferRide app.

Fact: In Mississippi in 2014, there were over 600 driving fatalities with over 30 percent of those crashes involving a drunk driver.

To drink and drive is a crime —you put yourself at risk, as well as others. The consequences are often fatal.

If you see a drunk driver on the road contact local law enforcement when it is safe to do so.

You could save a life.