St. Patrick’s Day can be a lot of fun. Everyone wears green and everyone is Irish for a day, and as we all know, many people celebrate by having a few green beers.

The problems begin as soon as an individual that’s inebriated makes the decision to get behind the wheel of a vehicle and drive.

According to MADD.org, on average someone is killed every hour in a drunk driving crash.

Do you know the ways alcohol can affect your driving? Here are five from AlcoholAlert.com:

1. You are more likely to miss traffic signs and signals.
2. Your reactions are slower, which may make you unable to stop in time if another car or pedestrian crosses your path.
3. Your eyes tend to be focused on what’s in front of you as opposed to people or vehicles to the left or right side of you.
4. It is more difficult to drive in a straight line.
5. You may be overly confident and endanger yourself.

And then of course, there’s the danger of you causing an accident and injuring yourself or someone else, or worse. If caught drinking and driving you could also find yourself in jail.

The CDC says that in 2010, “young men ages 21-34 were responsible for 32% of all instances of drinking and driving.”

Your best bet is not to drink and drive in the first place. Call a cab or ask a friend who isn’t drinking to drive you home.

We at Great Plains Auto Body want you to have a safe, happy and fun St. Patrick’s Day!