Casper Police Step Up DUI Patrols for St. Patrick’s Day [VIDEO]
Casper law enforcement will have extra officers on the lookout for drunken drivers in an effort to keep revelers and everyone else safe on St. Patrick's Day.
"We've seen a rise, unfortunately, in accidents and deaths during this holiday," Detective John Hatcher of the Casper Police Department said Wednesday morning on the K2 Radio Morning Show.
"People are going to out this weekend and they're going to celebrate, but make wise decisions when you go out and celebrate," Hatcher added.
Cody Beers of WYDOT encourages partygoers to have a plan to get home safely before heading out to celebrate.
"Have a plan so that you wake up in your own bed and you live to tell the tale on Monday when all those pictures show up on social media," Beers said.
Hatcher said Casper's Safe Ride program is a great way to get home without getting behind the wheel.
"Any place that serves alcohol in Natrona County, you can ask a server to get you a voucher and they get you a ride home," Hatcher said. "It doesn't cost you anything. It's a donation-based program."
Hatcher also encouraged folks who drink to get a designated driver.
"If you think you've had too much to drink, you've had too much," Hatcher said. "So use that plan Cody was talking about and dial a friend."
On St. Patrick's Day 2015, Hatcher said, 30 people died nationwide in traffic accidents from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
"And I'm sure not all those people were drinking and driving. Unfortunately, some of those were probably innocent people that were hit by a drunk driver," Hatcher said.