For many residents and visitors of Seattle, St. Patrick’s Day is a time for celebration with friends and family.

Whether it involves a night out at a local pub or attendance to the annual parade, this holiday often involves alcohol consumption. It also ranks the 4th most popular holiday to drink alcohol – behind 4th of July, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve.

Despite the efforts of drunk driving campaigns and law enforcement, some drivers will likely ignore the often-repeated slogan, “don’t drink and drive”.

How safe is Seattle during St. Patrick’s Day?

According to WalletHub, Seattle ranks No. 15 out of 200 cities in the nation for best places to go during St. Patrick’s Day. It’s safety and accessibility ranking is 159, which factors in DUI-related fatalities per capita.

On a national scale, one person is fatally injured every 36 minutes due to drunk driving during the holiday. Additionally, around 75 percent of fatal accidents involve drivers who have consumed double the legal limit of alcohol.

In comparison to most other states, Washington has a relatively low DUI-related fatality rate per capita – at only 2.40 per 100,000 people in 2017. While this may sound like good news, nobody should lose their life due to drunk driving.

There is no excuse for impaired driving

It happens often this time of year. Someone who has had too much to drink gets behind the wheel, despite the option to summon a ride-share or find another means of transportation. The problem is some drivers understand the risk of driving drunk, but choose to do it anyways. They may have done it many times before without causing an accident.

However, alcohol consumption causes delays in reaction time, motor function, and judgment. In some cases, it can result in a driver falling asleep at the wheel. While law enforcement officers may be poised to keep drunk drivers off the road, they may not be able to catch every one of them. All it takes is one misjudgment or delayed reaction to turn someone’s life upside forever.

If you or a loved one was injured in a crash caused by a drunk driver, you need an experienced car accident attorney who can help make things right. Aaron Engle Law has been helping injured motorist pursue justice for more than 35 years. Our legal team will gladly review the details of your crash and launch a thorough investigation.

Contact us today to schedule your free case evaluation.