CHEYENNE, Wyo. — On Monday, authorities with law enforcement agencies across Laramie and Albany counties released a video stating they are working together to combat drunk driving throughout the St. Patrick’s Day weekend.
The video features Laramie County Sheriff Brian Kozack, Colonel Tim Cameron with the Wyoming Highway Patrol, Pine Bluffs Police Department Chief Austin Smith and Cheyenne Police Department Chief Mark Francisco.
The agency leaders say they will be monitoring the roads more closely throughout the week and through the holiday weekend. They urge local residents to drink responsibly and seek a designated driver if needed.
“You can’t rely on the luck of the Irish to get you home safe,” Chief Smith says in the video.
Chief Smith points out that although St. Patrick’s Day is one of America’s most popular drinking holidays, it is also one of the deadliest on the roads. The U.S. Department of Transportation echoes this statement, reporting that 272 people died on the road during the Irish holiday period from 2017 to 2021. In 2020, more than a third of driving-related fatalities on St. Patrick’s Day involved a drunk driver, the DOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported in 2022.
