![St. Patrick’s Day High on List for Alcohol Crashes](http://townsquare.media/site/67/files/2012/03/DWI-Campaign.jpg?w=980&q=75)
St. Patrick’s Day High on List for Alcohol Crashes
ST. PAUL (AP) - Law enforcement agencies statewide will increase enforcement this St. Patrick's Day weekend, a traditionally risky time on Minnesota roadways.
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety officials are especially concerned this year because St. Patrick's Day is on a Saturday. They say the holiday has been safer in recent years when St. Pat's fell on a weekday.
The last time the holiday was on a weekend was 2007 when 527 motorists were arrested for drunken driving and all three traffic deaths were alcohol-related. During a typical weekend in Minnesota, about 170 motorists are arrested for DWI.
The department's Office of Traffic Safety says seven deaths were in alcohol-related crashes during the St. Patrick's holiday from 2006 to 2010. Nearly 1,600 people were cited for drunken driving during the same period.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved)
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