St. Patrick’s Day 2025 celebrations will take place across the country on and around Monday, March 17. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) urges drivers to remember that drinking and driving is deadly and never an option.
Every year, alcohol-impaired driving casts a shadow over the festive spirit of St. Patrick’s Day by taking the lives of community and family members across America. According to NHTSA, 38% (290) of the traffic fatalities that occurred during the St. Patrick’s Day holidays (6 p.m. March 16–5:59 a.m. March 18) between 2018-2022 involved drunk drivers.
In 2022 alone, there were 74 drunk-driving fatalities during the St. Patrick’s Day holiday, of which 49 involved drivers with a blood alcohol level of almost twice the legal limit (.15+ BAC). In 2022 drivers ages 21-34 (34%) were the age group most involved in alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities during this holiday, followed by drivers under 21 (30%). The rates of passenger car drivers and motorcyclists involved in these fatal drunk-driving crashes were 34% and 41%, respectively.
"As law enforcement officers, we witness 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,” he said.
