Area police are working to spread the message about the dangers of drunken driving.

If you’re heading out for the Irish festivities, plan ahead and remember: Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving.

This means that if you plan to drink any alcoholic beverage, even a watered-down green beer, it’s essential that you plan for a designated driver.

In 2018 alone, 73 people were killed in drunk-driving crashes over the St. Paddy’s Day holiday period (6 p.m. March 16 to 5:59 a.m. March 18).

For this reason, Carbon County police are teaming up with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to spread the message about the dangers of drunken driving.

Because even one drink can be one too many.

“We want our community to enjoy St. Patrick’s Day, and we expect drivers to take responsibility for their actions,” said officer Joel Gulla of the Lehighton Police Department & Carbon County Coordinator for the North Central Regional DUI Enforcement Program. “If you’ve been drinking, make the right choice to find a sober driver to get you, and your friends, home safely. Before you put your keys in the ignition, remind yourself: Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving. If you feel a buzz, you are in no shape to drive.”

According to NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 36,560 people were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2018, and 29% (10,511) of those fatalities occurred in crashes during which a driver had a blood alcohol concentration over the legal limit of .08. In 2018 alone, 73 people (39% of all crash fatalities) were killed in drunk-driving crashes over the St. Patrick’s Day holiday period.

The early hours of March 18, 2018, didn’t fare much better. Between midnight and 5:59 a.m. over the St. Patrick’s Day holiday period in 2018, more than three out of five (62%) crash fatalities involved a drunken driver. In fact, from 2014 to 2018, 249 lives were lost due in drunk-driving crashes. Drivers should also keep an eye out for pedestrians who have had too much to drink. Walking while intoxicated can also be deadly, as lack of attention to their surroundings could put pedestrians at risk of getting hit by a vehicle.

Drunken driving isn’t the only risk on the road: Drug-impaired driving is also an increasing problem, for men and for women alike. If drivers are impaired by any substance — alcohol or other drugs — they should not get behind the wheel of a vehicle. It is illegal in all states to drive impaired by alcohol or drugs. Remember: Driving while impaired is illegal, period. The bottom line is this: If You Feel Different, You Drive Different. It’s that simple.

Drinking and driving should never be combined. It’s essential to plan a sober ride in advance if the holiday celebration will include alcohol. The alternative could change your life, not to mention the lives of your passengers, of pedestrians, or of other drivers and passengers nearby.

This holiday season, Carbon County police and NHTSA urge drivers to designate a sober driver before heading out for the evening. If you plan on drinking, plan on not driving.

For more information, visit www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov.