Police prevent St. Patty's Day DUI's

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Wednesday night was a busy time on the roads with people across the Gulf Coast heading out for Saint Patrick's Day celebrations. Unfortunately, it's a busy time for police too. It's one of the worst nights of the year for DUI arrests.

Certainly folks will be out having a good time for the holiday, but you can't have too much of a good thing.

Driving drunk could potentially kill somebody, so Daphne Police will be patrolling the streets keeping motorists safe.

Early Wednesday afternoon, Paddy O'Toole's was already getting packed. And one woman in the crowd was born to have fun, her name is Donna Corona.

"Just like the beer!" Corona said.

Corona had been drinking for a couple of hours, but not necessarily the drink that shares her name.

"This is green beer, every year I have to drink green beer," said Corona.

It's all fun and games, until somebody gets hurt.

So until 6:00 in the morning, Officer Bill Menefee will keep an eye out for drunk drivers, although he doesn't have to try very hard.

"They kind of throw themselves at your lap because they're not driving properly," Menefee said.

Menefee will look for drivers speeding or swerving out of their lanes.

"You hear a lot of wives tales, don't do exactly the speed limit, don't do this, don't do that. That's not true. All we're looking for is people not maintaining their vehicle properly," Menefee said.

So Corona is going to avoid it entirely.

"My boyfriend comes and gets me. I'm good! I never drive on Saint Patrick's Day!" she said.

It's certainly not worth the cost of getting caught with a DUI.

For a first offense, the person in Alabama could face more than $1,000 in fines and court costs, a 90-day license suspension and it will be on your record for a minimum of three years.

The more times you're caught, the worse the penalties can get, and it could result in a felony.