KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Highway Patrol said people need to find a sober ride home if they spend St. Patrick's Day celebrating.
They posted a video on social media warning people about the consequences of drinking and driving. They said drivers could be arrested, or they could end up hurt in a crash because of it. Some of those crashes could end up being fatal, they warned.
Sevierville police warned that they would be patrolling the roads for drunk drivers during the St. Patrick's Day holiday, running saturation patrols on Thursday and Friday. They said that nationally, 10,142 people died in drunk-driving crashes during 2019.
On average, one person was killed in a drunk-driving crash every 52 minutes during that year, authorities said. They also said that during the 2019 St. Patrick's Day period, from March 16 through March 18, around 46 percent of crash fatalities involved a drunk driver.
To avoid drunk driving, they said people can pick a designated driver before drinking. They can also plan to use a rideshare service or use public transportation to get home safely.