Thursday, Mar. 14 2013 5:07PM

ENFORCEMENT

LSPD, service trying to prevent St. Paddy’s Day arrests

By Toriano Porter

tporter@lsjournal.com

The Lee’s Summit Police Department is participating in a statewide DWI enforcement campaign this month and the St. Patrick’s Day weekend celebration in town will see an increase in police presence.

According to the LSPD, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that more than 700 people have been killed nationwide from 2006 to 2010 in crashes involving drunk drivers during the St. Patrick’s Day holiday.

On average, every 51 minutes a person is killed in a drunk-driving crash in the United States and a majority of the crashes involve drivers who have blood alcohol concentrations of .15 or higher, which is almost twice the legal limit.

In response to those statistics, the department will increase its DWI enforcement efforts during the St. Patrick’s Day weekend. The increased enforcement measures will include additional police patrols and a DWI checkpoint during the late evening and early morning hours of March 16-17.

The goal of the enforcement is to remove impaired drivers from the roadway and reduce alcohol related crashes and injuries. The LSPD encourages drivers to enjoy the celebrations responsibly, plan ahead and designate a driver.

Also on tap for the weekend is a vehicle service that hopes to prevent such possible arrests.

DriveMe KC will be available from 7 p.m. to midnight March 16, the day of the Emerald Isle Parade, at all participating Pub Crawl locations in downtown Lee’s Summit.

The company is offering non-stop rides for drivers/patrons who feel they are too impaired to drive home safely. DriveMe KC is also offering some of the other services for the night, including designated driver, non-emergency medical driver, and/or vehicle drop-off services.

For more information on DriveMe KC or to set up a reservation for a ride call 816-867-4115 or visit www.drivemekc.com.