Green Beer, Good Times, and Getting Home Alive: A St. Patrick’s Day PSA from Your Favorite Texas Trial Lawyer

The only thing you should be chasing tonight is a plate of corned beef, not a reckless decision that changes lives forever.

My friends, let me be real with you for a second.

I love St. Patrick’s Day. I truly do. The energy, the community, the excuse to eat an unreasonable amount of corned beef and cabbage. The fact that for one beautiful day, every single person in Texas (Irish or not, doesn’t matter) decides they’re going to wear green and have a great time. That’s my kind of holiday.

But here’s what I need you to hear before you head out tonight, and I truly mean this: every single man, woman, and child on the roads in Texas deserves to make it home safe. Every one of them. Your neighbor pulling out of HEB. The college kid heading back to campus in San Marcos. The family of four driving home from dinner in San Antonio. Every person on every highway, every back road, every neighborhood street.

And the only thing standing between them and a safe ride home is whether the people around them choose to follow one simple, non-negotiable rule:

If you’ve been drinking, you do not get behind the wheel. Period.

That’s not a suggestion. That’s not a mere guideline. Under Texas Penal Code Section 49.04, it is illegal to operate a motor vehicle in a public place while intoxicated. That law exists for one reason: to protect every single person on that road from someone who made a choice to drive when they had no business driving.

The Numbers Are Brutal, and They’re Not Getting Better

Let me walk you through this, because the numbers tell a story that should make every person reading this stop and think.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 290 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes during the St. Patrick’s Day holiday period between 2018 and 2022. Two hundred and ninety families who got a phone call that changed everything. Two hundred and ninety people who left for a celebration and never came home.

In the 2023 St. Patrick’s Day period alone, 35% of alcohol-impaired drivers involved in fatal crashes were between the ages of 21 and 34. Young people. People just getting started. People with their whole lives in front of them, playing a game of Russian roulette with a two-ton vehicle because they thought they were “fine to drive.”

And it gets worse at night. During the 2023 holiday, 41% of drivers involved in fatal crashes between midnight and 2:59 a.m. were drunk. Almost half. Think about that the next time you’re leaving a bar at 1 a.m. and the person in the lane next to you is swerving. There is nearly a coin-flip chance that driver is impaired.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) put it in terms that should stop you cold: every 85 seconds, someone in this country is killed or injured in a drunk driving crash. Every 85 seconds. That’s not a typo.

Texas Is Ground Zero, and Tonight the Danger Explodes

Here’s what a lot of people don’t realize: Texas is consistently ranked among the most dangerous states in the country to drive on St. Paddy’s Day. And this year, St. Paddy’s falls right in the middle of spring break (and if you’re in Austin, it’s in the middle of SXSW, which is already crazy). So you’ve got the holiday drinkers, the spring breakers, and the everyday commuters all sharing the same roads at the same time. From I-35 in Austin to Loop 410 in San Antonio, from the Gulf Freeway in Houston to I-30 in Dallas, every major corridor in this state is going to see more impaired drivers tonight than on a normal Tuesday.

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) knows it, too. They’ve already announced increased enforcement from March 9 through March 17 as part of their annual Spring Break and St. Patrick’s Day campaign. Highway Patrol troopers are out in force right now, specifically looking for speeders, unbuckled drivers, and (most importantly) people driving while intoxicated. This is part of the International Association of Chiefs of Police Operation CARE, a nationwide effort to boost officer presence during high-crash periods.

So if you’re thinking about rolling the dice tonight, understand this: DPS is not playing around. They’re out there. They’re looking. And they will find you.

What Happens When You Get Caught (And You Will Get Caught)

Let me put on my Coach hat for a second and break down exactly what a DWI arrest looks like in Texas, because I don’t think most people have any idea how fast their life can unravel.

A first-offense DWI in Texas is a Class B misdemeanor. That means fines up to $2,000, plus a state fine that can run an additional $3,000 to $6,000 (yes, on top of the first fine). You’re looking at anywhere from 3 to 180 days in jail. Your driver’s license gets suspended for up to a year. And here’s one that catches people off guard: Texas has an Administrative License Revocation (ALR) process, and you only have 15 days from the date of your arrest to request a hearing. Miss that deadline and your license is automatically suspended. Fifteen days. Most people don’t even realize it’s happening until it’s too late.

Then there’s the ignition interlock device (that’s the thing that makes you blow into a tube before your car will start), the mandatory DWI education program, the insurance surcharges that will follow you for years, the criminal record that shows up on every background check, every job application, every apartment lease.

And that’s the best-case scenario. That’s if nobody gets hurt.

If you hit someone while driving drunk, you’re looking at intoxication assault (a third-degree felony, 2 to 10 years in prison) or intoxication manslaughter (a second-degree felony, 2 to 20 years). Those aren’t scare tactics. Those are the actual consequences written into the Texas Penal Code. Cases I’ve worked on throughout my career, the ones that keep me up at night, involve exactly this scenario. Someone who thought they were fine to drive. Someone who made a choice. And someone else’s family that paid the price.

The Cost Nobody Talks About

Here’s what no statistic can capture. When a drunk driver crosses the center line and hits a family head-on, the damage doesn’t stop at the hospital. It follows that family home. It’s in the way a mother flinches at every intersection for the rest of her life. It’s in the nightmares a child has about the sound of metal on metal. It’s in the empty chair at Thanksgiving. It’s in the precious memories that never get made.

I’ve sat across from these families. I’ve heard the stories. I’ve seen the medical records, the therapy bills, the completely shattered lives. And in every single one of those cases, it all started the same way: someone who had been drinking made a conscious choice to get behind the wheel. Not an accident. Not bad luck. A choice. The natural consequence of a conscious choice to break the safety rules that exist to protect every person on the road.

That’s not ok.

Your Game Plan for Tonight (Plan A, B, C, D, etc.)

Alright, my friends, here’s where we flip this thing from scary to practical. Because I’m not here to ruin your St. Paddy’s Day. I’m here to make sure you actually enjoy it AND make it home safe to enjoy tomorrow, too. So let’s build a game plan.

•       Designate a sober driver before the first drink gets poured. Not after the third green beer. Before the first one. Pick the person, make the commitment, and stick to it.

•       Download or update your rideshare app now. Uber, Lyft, whatever you use. Have it on your phone, payment loaded, account ready. When midnight hits and you’re wondering how you’re getting home, the answer should already be in your pocket.

•       Keep a backup plan. Call a friend or family member, stay at a nearby hotel, crash at a buddy’s place, take the bus with a friend. Have Plan A, B, C, D, etc. The person who fails to plan is planning to fail. (Yes, I’m the trial lawyer quoting coaching clichés. Deal with it.)

•       Watch out for each other. If your friend is reaching for their keys and they’ve been drinking, take the keys. I don’t care if they get mad. Better mad than dead. Better mad than in a jail cell for intoxication manslaughter. Take. The. Keys.

•       If you see a drunk driver on the road, do not engage. Keep your distance. Pull over safely. Call 911 with as much detail as you can: make, model, color, license plate, direction of travel, what behavior you’re seeing (swerving, wrong-way driving, running lights, etc.).

•       If you feel ANY level of impairment, do not drive. Not “a little buzzed.” Not “I only had two.” Not “I feel fine.” If there’s any question at all, the answer is a hard no. The NHTSA puts it simply: Buzzed Driving IS Drunk Driving.

If You’re Hosting, You’re Responsible

One more thing, and this is for anyone throwing a St. Paddy’s Day party tonight. Under Texas law, you can be held liable if you serve alcohol to a visibly intoxicated person who then causes harm. That’s not just a bar thing. That’s your backyard, your living room, your tailgate, etc.

If you’re hosting, make sure there’s plenty of food. Make sure there’s water and non-alcoholic options. And make sure nobody leaves your party impaired and gets behind the wheel. Offer a couch. Call them a ride. Do whatever it takes. Because if someone leaves your party drunk and hurts somebody, you’re going to carry that weight for the rest of your life.

Make the Memories. Skip the Regret.

Here’s the bottom line. I like people. I truly do. I got into this work because I believe every single person in this state deserves to be safe on the roads, at work, in their homes, everywhere. And I believe that when someone breaks the safety rules and puts other people in danger, somebody needs to stand up and say something about it.

So this is me being me, standing up and saying something. Tonight, celebrate. Have fun. Wear the green. Eat the corned beef. Enjoy the people you’re with. Make the precious memories.

But for love of God get home safe and make sure the people around you get home safe. And if you see someone about to make a terrible decision, be the friend who stops it. That one decision can change the entire course of someone's life.

Because tomorrow morning, I want every single one of you waking up with nothing worse than a pounding headache and a leprechaun tattoo you don’t remember getting. That’s the kind of St. Patrick’s Day story I want to hear.

Not the other kind. Never the other kind.

If you or someone you love has been hurt by a drunk driver, on St. Patrick’s Day or any other day, we’re here. The consultation is free and confidential. You can reach us anytime.

Stay safe out there, my friends.

We’re here, and we’re ready.