The Maryland State Police are urging motorists to avoid aggressive, distracted, and impaired driving during St. Patrick’s Day weekend as troopers increase enforcement across the state.
Troopers from all 23 barracks, along with the State Police Impaired Driving Reduction Effort (SPIDRE) team, will conduct saturation patrols along roadways where impaired driving-related crashes frequently occur. The enforcement effort, supported by funding from the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration Highway Safety Office, will run from Friday, March 13 through Tuesday, March 17.
Troopers will focus patrols on major corridors across Maryland, including Interstates 495, 270, 70 and 81, as well as routes 50, 301, 40 and 65, among others. Officials are also encouraging residents celebrating St. Patrick’s Day to plan ahead by designating a sober driver, using public transportation or ride-share services, and avoiding distracted driving. Hosts of gatherings are reminded to help ensure guests have safe transportation options and to discourage anyone who may be impaired from driving.
Reminder: The nonprofit Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP) announced that its annual St. Patrick’s Day SoberRide program will offer free rides to help prevent impaired driving across the Washington metropolitan area. The service will operate from 4:00 pm on Tuesday, March 17 through 4:00 am on Wednesday, March 18. During that time, residents age 21 and older who have been drinking can request a ride home through the Lyft app by entering a SoberRide code in the app’s payment section. Each ride is free up to $15, and the code will be posted on the SoberRide website at 3:00 pm on St. Patrick’s Day.
