St. Patrick’s Day Crackdown

Police in Salinas are planning on cracking down on drunk drivers over the St. Patrick’s Day weekend. Known primarily as a drinking holiday, there is always an increase in drunk drivers on St. Patrick’s Day, and in the days surrounding the holiday.

Monterey and San Benito Counties are both encouraging drivers to Avoid the 20. This is part of a DUI task force that is in place to help prevent any and all drunk drivers. Their presence will be an increase to normal police efforts. From 2009 to 2013 there have been a total of 276 DUI related fatalities.

This weekend is the closest weekend to St. Patrick’s Day, and it is expected that most revelers will put on their party hats and consume a few green beers. Many bars will have themed parties and if you are planning on attending you should also plan on traveling safely.

If you will be donning some “Kiss Me I’m Irish”-wear this weekend you probably want to consider appointing a designated driver or utilizing alternative driving measures. Taxis, Uber, and Lyft are all viable options and they are significantly less than the financial ramifications of getting a DUI.

We will be updating our DUI Checkpoints throughout the weekend as they become available. These checkpoints will keep you informed on increased patrols and DUI checkpoint locations to be aware of if you are celebrating St. Patrick’s Day this weekend.

Remember to be safe this weekend and next week if you will be celebrating on March 17th, instead of (or as well as) this weekend.