As most folks know, Saint Patrick’s Day is a cultural and religious holiday celebrated annually around the world on March 17th. The holiday celebrates the most commonly-recognized patron saint of Ireland, Saint Patrick (c. AD 385–461). The day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. It celebrates the heritage and the culture of the Irish in general, and the Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol are lifted for the day, which of course has encouraged and propagated the holiday’s tradition of abundant alcohol consumption worldwide. Because of this aforesaid ‘abundant consumption’, the holiday is second only to New Year’s Eve when it comes to DUI arrests. Green beer runs plentiful, which tends to bring out a younger more energetic crowd, according to law enforcement.

Due to this year’s arrival of St. Patrick’s Day, law enforcement in and around the Puget Sound, like in years past, will be running extra patrols through, and including, Monday. According to law enforcement, the younger crowd “[ge]nerally tend[s] to make poorer decisions, meaning they want to get in their car and drive.” Officers will be looking for impaired driving, the signs of which include slow reaction time, swerving in and out of lanes, and forgetting to turn on a vehicle’s headlights and/or turn signals.

So … have fun but be safe out there this weekend. Hopefully it won’t happen, but if you or a loved one gets in a bind as a result of a St. Patrick weekend DUI, immediately contact a Seattle DUI attorney immediately. A DUI attorney is not going to judge you, and we all understand that people make mistakes. Hiring a Seattle DUI attorney to help can – at a minimum – reduce those penalties, and can help direct people on how to best deal with their DUI charge. So it should go without saying that someone cited for DUI should hire a qualified Seattle DUI attorney as soon as possible. Driving Under the Influence charges can cause havoc on a person’s personal and professional life. Anyone charged with DUI in Washington State should immediately seek the assistance of a seasoned Seattle DUI lawyer.