Police will be on the lookout for St. Patrick’s Day revelers behind the wheel starting this weekend in a coordinated enforcement initiative to keep impaired drivers off the road.
The “Operation Sober Shamrock” campaign starts Thursday and runs through Saturday. While St. Patrick’s Day is still more than a week away, local authorities know celebrations can start early.
“The goal is to save lives and stop vehicle crashes from happening,” said Cathy Tress, regional DUI program administrator with the Pennsylvania DUI Association. “Impaired is impaired, regardless of the substance or combination of substances you’ve consumed.”
Police in Allegheny, Westmoreland and neighboring counties will be doing roving patrols over the weekend in partnership with PennDOT, the Pennsylvania DUI Association and AAA East Central. Local and state police will continue enforcement activities through March 17, which is St. Patrick’s Day.
Officials on Wednesday encouraged those planning to celebrate to have a plan to get home safely. They encouraged the use of public transportation, a sober driver or a ride share service.
“Unfortunately, even though there are so many options out there, impaired driving remains a threat on our nation’s roadways,” said Jim Garrity, director of public and community affairs with AAA East Central.
They also encouraged pedestrians to have a “sober walker” accompany them.
“If there is an impaired walker who’s under the influence, they have potential to create just as much chaos on a local road as someone who got behind the wheel impaired,” said Yasmeen Manyisha, PennDOT District 11 safety press officer. “If they’re darting out into traffic, not crossing at intersections, stumbling into the road, they can get themselves hurt and they can hurt other people.”
Operation Sober Shamrock is being funded in part by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.