Police in Carbon County are teaming up with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to reduce impaired driving and pedestrians hit by vehicles

“Embracing St. Patrick’s Day and its traditions is one thing; engaging in the deadly behavior that is drinking and driving is another,” said Joel Gulla, Lehighton Police Department and Carbon County coordinator for the North Central Regional DUI Enforcement Program. “Feeling buzzed and getting behind the wheel puts lives at risk.

“Our community has seen firsthand the devastation and loss caused by alcohol-impaired driving, along with the lasting pain it inflicts on families, friends and entire communities. We’re partnering with NHTSA to share the reminder that ‘Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving.’ Drinking and driving is not an option, but making sure someone sober will be behind the wheel is.”

According to the NHTSA, 38% (284) of the traffic fatalities that occurred during the St. Patrick’s Day holidays between 2019 and 2023 involved drunken drivers. In 2023 alone, there were 63 fatalities in drunken-driving crashes during the St. Patrick’s Day holiday, of which 44 involved drivers with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.15 or higher.

Local authorities are urging everyone to celebrate the holiday safely by making a plan before the festivities begin.

For more information on impaired driving, visit www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving.