I'm 75% Irish and I'm from Boston so St. Patty's has always been a part of my life. As proof of my heritage, my younger brother is named Patrick. lol
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| Courtesy 2beerguys.com |
Unfortunately, St. Patty's is also a BIG DAY for drunk driving. In Ithaca, the problem is even more pronounced than in some other areas due to the large population of college students at Ithaca College, Cornell University, and Tompkins County Community College (TC3).
St. Patty's is known for binge drinking green beer, chugging Irish Car Bombs [a shot of Baileys Irish Cream put into a pint of Guinness], and drinking copious amounts of Jameson Whiskey.
It's a big part of our American culture that it is expected for college students to drink. College kids also drink with a singular purpose...to get DRUNK.
I won't talk about the health risks of excessive drinking (I'm not a medical doctor), but I will address the dangers of excessive drinking and DRIVING. The focus of this blog is drunk driving, and St. Patty's Day gives college drinkers an excuse to get blasted and drive on a Tuesday.
As a DWI defense lawyer, my advice is this: know your limits, call a cab, and take the keys from any friend or relative that you know has had ANYTHING TO DRINK before getting behind the wheel. The police will be out tonight in full force.... meaning the ENTIRE force will be on the lookout for DWI's.
If you get caught (even if you don't hurt somebody or yourself), you could end up with a permanent criminal record that stays with you your whole life. Not to mention your exposure to a jail sentence, fines, drunk driving classes, loss of license, ignition interlock device requirements etc etc etc.(see some of my other blog posts). New York has some of the harshest DWI laws in the USA. You don't want to experience that statistic first hand...
Please celebrate the holiday -but do it safely. Party on, Wayne! (90's reference --I'm betraying my age)
HAPPY ST. PATTY'S DAY & Party Smart!
BY: Attorney Mike Cyr
P: 607-229-5184
E: mike.ithacadwi@gmail.com
Twitter: @ithacadwi
