SACRAMENTO — The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control reminds Californians to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day responsibly and never drive under the influence. ABC encourages the public to prevent impaired driving by designating a sober driver or use ride-sharing services.

“Our agents will be out this St. Patrick’s Day to help keep our communities safe,” said ABC Director Joseph McCullough. “ABC licensed businesses can play an important role in reducing DUI’s by checking IDs and not over-serving patrons.”

ABC is partnering with the California Office of Traffic Safety, or OTS, to deliver this educational message due to the high number of drunk driving crashes that occur near St. Patrick’s Day each year.

Statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that between 2016 and 2020, drunk driving crashes caused 287 deaths during the St. Patrick’s Day period.

In 2020, 36% of fatal crashes involved a drunk driver during the same period.

Funding for St. Patrick’s Day enforcement is provided by a grant from OTS through NHTSA.