Enjoy the Blessings of Saint Patrick On His Day, But Hand Your Car Keys Off To a Sober Friend

Everyone's Irish on March 17 - or so the distillers would have us believe. It's a fun day, slightly off course from the original intent but a good day nonetheless - unless you use it as an excuse to over-imbibe or, worse, drink and drive.

Just to make sure people play it smart, local police said they will initiate a countywide Avoid the 25 campaign to curtail potentially lethal drinking and driving. Contra Costa County Sheriff's spokesman Jimmy Lee said the department will field "saturation patrols" throughout the county and initiate a sweep for people with outstanding DUI warrants in Richmond.

The extra Avoid DUI saturation patrols will be supplementing regularly scheduled shift deployments already planned for St. Patrick’s Day, Lee said. The California Highway Patrol will also be on the lookout for drunk drivers.

Law enforcement offered the following tips for having a good time and living to tell about it:

• Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin.
• Before drinking, designate a sober driver and leave your car keys at home.
• If you’re impaired, use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation so you are sure to get home safely.
• If you happen to see a drunk driver on the road, don’t hesitate to call 911.
• And remember, if you know someone who is about to drive or ride while impaired, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to get to where they are going safely.

The Avoid the 25 anti-DUI Campaign is funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.