Delaware County officers set up DUI patrols for holiday weekend

HAVERFORD TWP., Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- Bars and restaurants are flooded with patrons this St. Patrick's Day, especially with March Madness and spring weather amplifying the holiday on Friday.

With all the celebrating, police are reminding revelers that roving DUI patrols will be on the roads to make sure everyone gets home safe.

Police fear that the combination of the warm weather, upcoming weekend, and the festivities will lead to an uptick in people driving under the influence.

"It could spell for a disaster of accidents," said Superintendent John Viola with the Haverford Police Department. "We're very aware of that."

The Northern Delaware County DUI Task Force is deployed this weekend to ensure drivers stay safe.

Radnor Police Superintendent Chris Flanagan says he'll also be on patrol over the weekend.

"We have a NCAA Women's Championship here at Villanova," he said. "We are extremely excited, but it means a bunch of people are in town also to have a good time."

Radnor, Haverford, Marple, Newtown, and Springfield townships all are part of the DUI Taskforce. They'll have extra officers patrolling the roadways looking for drunk drivers.

Since 2009, the task force has arrested 179 DUI drivers and issued 47 citations for underage drinking, along with more than 1,200 other citations.

The message is this: plan ahead.

"It comes down to this: celebrate responsibly, but have a plan," said Flanagan. "Don't just go out and not have a plan to get home."

On the bright side, police say that with the rise of Uber, Lyft, and other ride share services, DUI arrests have gone down in recent years.