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TUCSON - St. Patrick's Day is approaching and the Pima County Sheriff's Department is reminding drivers to not get behind the wheel if they have been drinking alcohol.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that from the years 2006 to 2010, 700 people have been killed, nationally, because of drunk-drivers throughout the St. Patrick's Day holiday.

On average, in the United States, one person is killed every 51 minutes because of a drunk-driving involved crash.
NHTSA has also reported that most crashes involve drunk drivers who have blood alcohol concentrations of .15 grams per deciliter or higher, which is about twice the legal limit of .08 g/dL.

To avoid this from happening, the Pima County Sheriff's Department advises the following:

Plan a way of getting home prior to drinking.

• Assign a sober driver and leave your car keys at home.
• If you spot a drunk driver on the road, call police
• If you know someone who is going to drive while drunk, take their keys and help them make arrangements on getting home safely.

The Sheriff's Department will be having a sobriety checkpoint active on Friday, March 15, 2013