By: Donovan W. Mann – [email protected]
Humboldt, IA – local law enforcement reminds the community about the importance of not drinking and driving.
With the Saint Patrick’s Day holiday coming up the Humboldt County Sheriff’s office reminds everyone to be responsible if they choose to partake in drinking. Sheriff Dean Kruger says “this holiday is one of the biggest drinking nights of the year and this, unfortunately, means more impaired drivers on the roads”.
Drunk driving accounts for nearly one-third of vehicle related fatalities in the United State. In 2018 73 people, 39% of all crash fatalities, were killed in a drunk driving incident over St. Patrick’s Day according to a report down by the Iowa Department of Public Safety. Likewise 33% of pedestrians ages 16 and older killed in crashes had a blood alcohol concentration at or above .08.
Sheriff Kruger warns that law enforcement will be more diligent during the St. Patrick’s Day period from March 14 to the 17. “Officers will especially be watching for drunk and drugged drivers and anyone not wearing seat belts” he says.
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 Iowa Department of Public Safety, the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau and the local law enforcement reminds you, driving while impaired is illegal.