Saint Patrick’s Day will be celebrated next week and the Dallas County Sheriff’s office is reminding area residents to be safe while on the road. 

Dallas County Sheriff Adam Infante says they will have deputies out in force for the Saint Patrick’s Day holiday, using grant funds from the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau (GTSB). He adds that if residents are out celebrating the holiday, they should have a plan in place to get home safely.

“We’ll have specialized patrol, that’s all those deputies will be doing is looking for traffic and trying to stop OWIs. So get an Uber, there’s all kinds of coupons out there, or get a ride from someone or just stay home. We don’t want to take anybody to jail for OWI.”

GTSB is sharing resources for sober rides, including a $10 Uber voucher through Doll Distributing’s Decide to Ride Program. The voucher will be active from March 14-17 throughout Iowa and will be capped at 1,000 redemptions.

St. Patrick’s Day events and celebrations also tend to attract increased pedestrian traffic. GTSB reminds drivers to stay alert and watch for pedestrians, especially in crowded areas. If you’re on foot, be sure to cross streets in well-lit areas, use the crosswalks and stay alert for vehicles.