Sheriff’s Plan DUI Checkpoint for St. Patrick’s Day

DUI checkpoint WCSO

“Planning a St. Patrick’s Day celebration this Friday?” the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office asked in a press release Monday. “Make it a safe one. We will be watching.”

There will be extra enforcement on the roads on Friday for St. Patrick’s Day, said the WCSO.

As part of this, there will be a sobriety checkpoint at Goose Creek Bypass from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.

“If you will be celebrating with alcohol, don’t drink and drive,” Sharon Puckett, spokesperson for WCSO, said. “Have a designated driver. Don’t forget to wear your seatbelt and don’t be distracted by trying to text.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, during the St. Patty’s Day period from 2009 to 2013, there have been 276 drunk-driving fatalities. The spike comes from binge drinking to celebrate the holiday.

From 2009 to 2013, almost three-fourths of the drunk-driving fatalities on St. Patrick’s Day involved drivers who were at least twice the legal limit.

In fact, those who binge drank are 14 times more likely to be given a DUI, according to the NHTSA.