Additional Law Enforcement Officers Participating in St. Patrick's Day Traffic Enforcement Project
Additional Law Enforcement Officers Participating in St. Patrick's Day Traffic Enforcement Project
March 16, 2021
Tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day and the Cedar Rapids Police Department is partnering with the Linn County Sheriff’s Office and Iowa State Patrol to have additional law enforcement officers participate in a traffic enforcement project in the Cedar Rapids metro area. Officers and deputies will be enforcing seat belt and speeding laws, and seeking to make our area roadways safer by arresting drivers who are operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. Law enforcement officers will be working throughout the day and evening.
During the 2019 St. Patrick’s Day weekend alone (6 p.m. March 16 to 5:59 a.m. March 18), more than three out of five (63%) crash fatalities involved a drunk driver. In fact, from 2015 to 2019, a total of 280 lives were lost in drunk-driving crashes during the St. Patrick’s Day period. Drivers should also keep an eye out for pedestrians who have had too much to drink. Walking while intoxicated can also be deadly, as lack of attention to their surroundings could put pedestrians at risk of getting hit by a vehicle.
In Cedar Rapids on March 17-18, 2019, Cedar Rapids Police officers arrested 12 individuals for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated.
When driving a motor vehicle, you need total concentration, good coordination, rapid reflexes and you need to be able to make correct judgments and decisions. Drinking alcohol can have a profound effect on driving skills.