St. Patrick's Day DUI Patrols: Police Stepping Up Enforcement

EDMONDS, WA - If you make a list of the stupidest things you could do, drinking and driving would be at the top next to, like, smoking and pumping gas, or putting your finger in an alligator's mouth.

So on one of the biggest drinking days of the year, it's a good time to remember that you should never drink and drive. But if you do - and we really hope you don't - know that police around Puget Sound will be out in force this weekend looking for impaired drivers.

In Snohomish County, sheriff's deputies and the Target Zero Task Force will be conducting emphasis patrols Friday night along with officers from Mountlake Terrace, Mill Creek, Arlington, and Lynnwood.

In Puyallup, emphasis patrols will begin around 8 p.m.

"If you are headed out tonight for some Irish suds or otherwise, just remember if you decide to drink and drive you will not have the luck of the Irish. Rather, the luck of PPD!" the department posted on Facebook on Friday. "We will also have enhanced bicycle patrol downtown tonight as well. We encourage you to have fun, but be responsible."

And there will be patrols out in the Seattle and Bellevue areas as part of the King County Target Zero Task Force.

There are plenty of alternatives to driving on St. Patrick's Day. Sound Transit light rail trains run until 1 a.m. through downtown Seattle, and most Pierce Transit, King County Metro, and Community Transit buses run well after midnight.

You could also grab an Uber or Lyft, or use a designated driver. Just remember: drinking and driving is incredibly stupid - you could hurt or kill someone else or yourself, or could end up in jail. (Also, don't ever smoke at a gas station.)

Image via Creative Commons