Boone County Sheriff’s Office to have increased presence on roads for St. Patrick’s Day weekend
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Boone County Sheriff's Office has DWI saturation patrols scheduled for the weekend of St. Patrick's Day.
Capt. Brian Leer told said the patrols will be supplementing the already-staffed enforcement units and that their sole purpose is to find and apprehend impaired drivers.
Blake Koutroubis, a junior at the University of Missouri, lost a family member to drunk drivers.
Koutroubis said his grandma was hit by two drunk drivers when he was a freshman in high school and that it is very important to him that people don't drink and drive.
"For me and my friends, it's something that we make sure that we don't do. Drunk driving can affect a lot more people than yourself. It can endanger you and everyone else around you," he said.
He added, there are so many ways now to get home without getting behind a wheel like Uber and Lyft.
A 2022 article from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, says during the 2020 St. Patrick’s Day period 36% of crash fatalities involved a drunk driver.
Breakthru Beverage Missouri and Jameson Irish Whiskey, are offering to cover 2,000 rides (up to a $30 value) for people in St. Louis, Kansas City, Columbia, and Springfield areas through 2 a.m. Saturday with a discount code.
The NHTSA also says If you’re hosting a party where alcohol will be served, make sure all of your guests leave with a sober driver. According to NHTSA charges for drunk driving can result in people facing jail time or even paying upwards of $10,000 in fines and legal fees.
