St. Patrick’s Day, March Madness and North Carolina DWI patrols
Saturday, March 17th, 2012This weekend brings two events onto the public radar screen. March Madness is certainly deemed a significant event in North Carolina and Saturday also brings the annual St’ Patrick’s Day festivities. Friday and Sunday will see live NCAA games in Greensboro, but people all over North Carolina, including in the Greenville area will undoubtedly be venturing out throughout the weekend to catch the games on TV with friends.
The two celebrations over the weekend will no doubt be on the radar of law enforcement agencies throughout the state. Both March Madness and St. Patrick’s Day celebrations are generally associated with increased DWI patrols and sobriety checkpoints in North Carolina.
Last year, the St. Patrick’s Day Booze it and Lose it campaign in North Carolina ran between March 11 and 17. The state ran 662 sobriety checkpoints and nearly 2000 DWI saturation patrols, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation. More than 1,000 drivers were arrested for DWI during the campaign last year.
Pitt County DWI defense lawyers are aware that St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Saturday this year, something that has not happened since 2007. The addition of basketball through the weekend makes this weekend a potentially significant weekend for DWI and underage drinking investigations in the state.
Like any weekend, drivers are urged to avoid drinking and driving surrounding festivities this weekend. Cabs, sober designated drivers and other arrangements to keep off the roads can all help to avoid being charged with DWI. It is also important to note that a person charged with DWI or underage drinking has the right to challenge the allegations.
Source: The Business Journal, “NCAA, St. Patrick’s Day to bring heavy traffic to Greensboro,” Katie Arcieri, March 15, 2012