Crime & Safety
Sobriety Checkpoint This Weekend
Police aim to reduce drunk driving on St. Patrick's Day.
Going out for St. Patrick's Day? So are police.
The Howard County Police Department issued a statement earlier this week that it would be conducting a sobriety checkpoint somewhere in the county over the weekend.
Signs and lights will surround the checkpoint, where officers in marked and unmarked vehicles will evaluate drivers for use of alcohol, seatbelts and child safety seats.
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Approximately one in three fatalities on St. Patrick's Day is due to drunk driving, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Every 51 minutes, drunk driving claimed a life in 2010, according to the NHTSA.
Good Numbers to Drunk Dial
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AAA offers a free program called "tow to go" in which it provides people with a free ride home and a free tow for their vehicles afterward. Call 1-800-222-4357.
If you're partying in Baltimore City and need a ride home, there's a free taxi service operating between 4 p.m. Saturday and 4 a.m. Sunday for St. Patrick's Day. Call 877-963-8294.
Other options:
- Yellow Cab of Howard County, Jessup: 410-799-0000
- Columbia Taxi Service, Elkridge: 240-210-6688
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