Designated drivers save St. Patrick’s Day

Posted 3/19/15

Ask any bartender, or former bartender, which celebrations they liked the least, most likely they will say St. Patrick’s Day. For reasons too complicated to explain, some people believe they are …

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Designated drivers save St. Patrick’s Day

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Ask any bartender, or former bartender, which celebrations they liked the least, most likely they will say St. Patrick’s Day. For reasons too complicated to explain, some people believe they are not honoring their Irish ancestry if they don’t take on an extra snootful of potent drink on St. Paddy’s. It’s what the bartenders call “Amateur Day,” when people who normally don’t drink very much are suddenly overloading themselves with alcohol.

Most social drinkers know when they are heading toward too much and can pace themselves accordingly, but the less experienced drinkers pick March 17 as their date with excess.

Of course, the police have been aware of this annual binging for years and brace themselves for a rash of drunken escapades. Some of those stunts can be funny in their way, but experienced police officers know that a harmless little “buzz” on St. Patrick’s Day can lead to carnage on the highways if they do not do their best to come between a drunk and his automobile before they hit the road.

Sgt. John Kelly of the Warwick Police decided it would be better to offer tipplers a ride home than to bust them after they have caused injury and damage by driving drunk. This year, Kelly suggested that the alumni of the Warwick Citizens Police Academy volunteer to give celebrants a ride home. The rides would be free and available from noon until midnight on Tuesday. Kelly visited various bars and restaurants in the city and left flyers explaining the program. The idea was for a celebrant to get a ride to his or her favorite “watering hole” and call for a ride when they had enough. The idea worked. Volunteers used unmarked police cars to give six overenthusiastic celebrant rides home. More importantly, just having Kelly go to the bars and explain the importance of not letting drunks drive has put the establishments on notice that extra police are assigned to stop drunk drivers on St. Patrick’s Day. He was also reminding the bartenders not to “over-serve” their customers.

We consider that a very professional approach to “Amateur Night.”

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