Facts About the Notoriously Alcohol-Infused Holiday
With just over six weeks to go until St. Patrick’s Day, we thought it would be a good idea to review some of the statistics about the often alcohol-heavy holiday. According to WalletHub, over half of America planned to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day last year. With the pandemic still in full effect and many bars and restaurants in California only able to operate at a limited capacity, there may be fewer people that plan to go out this year.
Money Spent on Alcohol
As noted by WalletHub, over $6 billion was estimated to be spent on the holiday last year, with the “average partier” spending around $43. St. Patrick’s Day ranks as the 3rd most popular drinking day and the most popular beer-drinking holiday. The average person consumes 4.2 drinks on the holiday, with over 30 percent of men admitting to binge drinking.
Drunk Driving Crashes on St. Paddy’s Day
Beer and spirit sales are generally up over 150% on St. Paddy’s Day. Again, the unusual circumstances of this year may see a decline in alcohol sales. Tragically in 2018, 73 people were killed in drunk driving accidents over the St. Patrick’s Day holiday. It is estimated that 62 percent of fatal car crashes on the holiday involve a drunk driver and that over 30 percent of fatal pedestrian crashes involve a person with an alcohol level of over .08 percent.
The statistics are astounding. This St. Patrick’s Day, commit to driving sober. Drunk driving crashes kill thousands of people every year, with a high number of fatalities happening over common drinking days like St. Paddy’s. The pandemic has helped to reduce the overall number of people on the road, but preventable deaths still happen. If you go out and plan to drink, save a life by using public transportation, hiring a rideshare company, or designating a sober driver.