Law enforcement and authorities with the state Alcohol Beverage Control Administration plan to increase police patrols and “step up” compliance towards the arrival of St. Patrick’s Day this weekend.
The effort will be a multi-agency effort to reduce drunk driving, which was provided additional grant funding from the Governor’s Highway Safety Program. The grant funds appropriated to the ABCA will go towards extra law enforcement throughout the spring in lieu of upcoming events that include St. Patrick's Day, the NCAA men's basketball tournament, high school proms and college spring breaks.
The enforcement efforts have seemingly garnered some publicity; The Houston Chronicle also published a story pointing to West Virginia’s plans to increase law enforcement leading some to believe Houston and other cities across the nation will follow suite.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, two-fifths of all deaths in crashes between 2006 and 2010 involved someone who was driving drunk during the St. Patrick's Day holiday.
Sources: Bluefield Telegraph; Associated Press
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