(Editorial - Graphic Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

One of our state’s biggest holidays for cultural appropriation (suddenly everyone is Irish) is just around the corner as many of us make our plans for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. The Governor’s Highway Safety Program has rightly chosen March 13-17 for a “Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving Campaign” to remind us to observe the holiday responsibly.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data showed between 2019 and 2023, nearly 38% of traffic fatalities on St. Patrick’s Day involved a drunk driver. Two hundred eighty-four people were killed.

The excess of many St. Patrick’s Day celebrations is a problem, too. Of the 63 people who were killed in drunk-driving crashes on the holiday in 2023, 44 were killed in crashes involving a driver whose blood alcohol concentration was 0.15 or higher — nearly double the legal limit.

“While many traditions surround St. Patrick’s Day, getting behind the wheel after just a few should not be one of them,” said Jack McNeely, director of the GHSP. “Law enforcement officers see the heartbreaking aftermath of impaired driving daily, from ruined lives to grieving families. Feeling a buzz is a sign of impairment. Alcohol clouds judgment, making it impossible to accurately assess your own ability to drive.”

Because buzzed driving is drunk driving, the only safe plan is to drive completely sober or arrange for a designated driver, taxi or rideshare. Give your keys to a sober friend or family member. If you are not drinking, keep an eye on your friends who might need a lift. And, if you are out and about and spot an impaired driver, report it to law enforcement immediately.

“Your call could save a life,” the GHSP said.

Don’t push your luck this St. Patrick’s Day — or any time. If you drink, have a plan to get home safely that doesn’t involve getting behind the wheel.