St. Patrick’s Day is a popular night out to socialize with friends, family and coworkers. However, with so many local establishments promoting alcohol sales or special promotional events, far too many drunken drivers head out onto streets, making it dangerous for all, according to police officers.

As a counter measure to all the green beer on sale St. Patty’s Day, the Avoid the 6 DUI Task Force will deploy additional DUI Roving Saturation Patrols into South Lake Tahoe and Placerville March 17 in the ongoing campaign to take careless, dangerous drunk or “buzzed” drivers off the road before they crash.

The extra Avoid DUI Saturation patrols will be supplementing regularly scheduled shift deployments planned for Thursday. The specialized DUI Officers will be focusing in areas with high incidents of DUI collisions and arrests.

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department recommends the following easy steps, for a safe St. Patrick’s Day.

• Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin;

• Before drinking, designate a sober driver and leave your car keys at home;

• If you’re impaired, use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation so you are sure to get home safely;

• If you happen to see a drunk driver on the road, don’t hesitate to Call 911;

• And remember, if you know someone who is about to drive or ride while impaired, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to get to where they are going safely.

The Avoid the 6 DUI Campaign is funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The coalition’s next DUI Campaigns are set for Cinco de Mayo and Memorial Day Weekend.