St. Patrick’s Day started as a religious observance, and has turned into a massive country-wide celebration of Irish culture, music, food and more. But, we must always remember that safety comes first.  

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, St. Patrick’s Day is one of the deadliest days on the road, associated with driving under the influence. So, all weekend long there will be increased patrolling by New York State Police and local law enforcement to "combat alcohol and drug impaired and reckless driving."

Tully Rinckey Criminal Law Partner Derrick Hogan has some advice on how we can all abide by the law while still enjoying the holiday.

"I think, you know, everybody has a right to enjoy themselves, and I would encourage them to enjoy themselves. But just be careful. I mean, in today's day and age with Uber, Lyft, any kind of ridesharing, any taxi, there's really no reason you should be out there drinking and driving especially. And I think St. Patrick's Day, you need to be certainly more cautious. It's not some random day in March, there's going to be an increased police presence. They're going to be on the lookout for erratic drivers. So just keep the keys at home this time around," said Hogan.

Hogan also shared that ultimately if you are under the influence of anything, you are really putting yourself, the people in your car, and others on the road in danger. He wants everyone to know that just because cannabis is now legal in the state, it still falls under controlled substances and you can get a driving while ability impaired charge.

“Whether it's St. Patrick's Day or any other day, I mean, you want to be compliant with that officer if he or she asks you for your credentials, like your license or registration, you should certainly provide that. And then, just comply with what they have to do. I mean, a lot of times I think people get into, situations where they might be defiant or may be disrespectful to the officer, and they have to understand the officer is just doing  his or her job," said Hogan.