Alcohol Beverage Control Administration spokesman Gig Robinson said that the stepped-up enforcement is part of a multi-agency effort to reduce drunk driving and underage drinking during the Spring.  The Governor's Highway Safety Program provided grant money to the ABCA for increased alcohol enforcement and compliance during peak drinking times.

Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed that drunk drivers were involved in two-fifths of St. Patrick's Day traffic deaths between 2006 and 2010.