ORLANDO, Fla. – This St. Patrick's Day weekend, the Orange County Sheriff's Office is cracking down on drunken driving arrests.
The effort will take place from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. Friday and Saturday, in partnership with the Florida Highway Patrol, local municipalities and the Traffic Safety Team, according to a news release. Deputies will be patrolling the streets of Central Florida as many St. Patrick's Day festivities will be held on Friday and Saturday with the holiday landing on that Sunday and spring break in session.
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To also help curb drunken driving, AAA and Lyft are offering incentives and rides to keep people away from the steering wheel.
Florida AAA clubs offer Tipsy Towing services for both members and nonmembers, officials said. For a safe ride home, anyone can call 800-AAA-HELP or 800-222-4357.
The "St. Patrick’s Day Tow-to-Go Program" is held statewide in Florida from Friday to 6 a.m. Monday. Members and nonmembers can call 855-286-9246 for a ride within 10 miles.
This St. Patrick’s Day, Lyft will donate $1 for each ride taken in a Lyft green-colored vehicle in Orlando to the Keri Anne DeMott Foundation, a local nonprofit dedicated to ending drunken, distracted and impaired driving created in the memory of a University of Central Florida student who was fatally struck by a drunk driven in 2015.
“Ride-sharing is not only a convenient way to get around during St. Patrick’s Day, but a responsible mode of transportation,” Yun Ling, market manager for Lyft Orlando, said. “We want our riders to have fun, but we also want to help them make smart decisions. Through our partnership with The Keri Anne DeMott Foundation, we can take further action to encourage individuals to make smart decisions by calling a Lyft after drinking.”