Pittsburgh, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), the Pennsylvania DUI Association, AAA East Central, and law enforcement agencies across the state will team up this weekend to kick off St. Patrick’s Day Impaired Driving Enforcement efforts with a special campaign running from March 5 to March 7, 2026.
An enforcement initiative, named “Operation Sober Shamrock,” was formally announced today during a media event at the Castle Shannon Police Department in Allegheny County.
The coordinated enforcement activities will include roving DUI patrols. Local and state law enforcement agencies will also conduct sustained enforcement activities across Pennsylvania throughout the entire St. Patrick’s Day Impaired Driving Enforcement period (March 7-17) to deter drivers from getting behind the wheel while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
The partners encourage drivers and pedestrians to plan ahead and celebrate all St. Patrick’s Day festivities responsibly. Designate a sober driver, use public transportation, or a ride share service. A person is considered alcohol-impaired with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. However, someone with a lower BAC can have impaired judgment and reaction times as well.
Pedestrians are encouraged to plan for safe travel by designating a “sober walker” to escort them during the day, ensuring the group makes it to their destination safely. Pedestrians are also reminded to walk smart by crossing at intersections, using crosswalks, looking both ways before crossing the street, and overall being aware of their surroundings.
More than 80 police departments and 120 officers will participate in the “Operation Sober Shamrock” enforcement in the southwest region as grantees of PennDOT’s Municipal Police Traffic Services Enforcement Program.
The enforcement is part of PennDOT and its safety partners’ continued efforts to reduce the number of impaired driving crashes, injuries, and fatalities statewide.
A multi-faceted approach is used to help keep Pennsylvania’s roadways safe including educating the public on the state’s vehicle code, DUI laws, and the dangers and consequences of impaired driving.
The operation is funded in part by PennDOT’s statewide distribution of federal funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
For more information on impaired driving, visit www.pa.gov/DOTSafety.
Find PennDOT’s planned and active construction projects at www.pa.gov/DOTprojects. Subscribe to PennDOT news and find transportation results in Allegheny, Beaver, and Lawrence counties at www.pa.gov/DOTdistrict11.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Yasmeen Manyisha, 412-429-5044 or ymanyisha@pa.gov
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