{"id":133756,"date":"2026-03-09T20:12:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:12:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/133756\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:12:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:12:09","slug":"operation-sober-shamrock-promotes-safe-st-patricks-day-celebrations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/133756\/","title":{"rendered":"“Operation Sober Shamrock” promotes safe St. Patrick’s Day celebrations"},"content":{"rendered":"

DUNMORE \u2014 In advance of upcoming St. Patrick\u2019s Day celebrations and parade festivities in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, officials on Monday warned the public of the dangers of impaired driving.<\/p>\n

Representatives of the state Department of Transportation, Lackawanna County Highway Safety Program, Lackawanna County district attorney\u2019s office, the Pennsylvania DUI Association, Pennsylvania State Police and officers from police departments in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties attended the event, called \u201cOperation Sober Shamrock.\u201d<\/p>\n

They gathered at PennDOT\u2019s District 4 headquarters in Dunmore to speak of the dangers of driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs, and to promote ride-sharing options and impart \u201can overall message of celebrating safely and making smart decisions to keep our communities safe,\u201d according to an announcement.<\/p>\n

Speakers included PennDOT District 4 Executive Jonathan Eboli, state Sen. Marty Flynn, D-22, Dunmore, Lackawanna County District Attorney Brian Gallagher, Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Bob Urban and Pennsylvania DUI Association Regional Program Administrator Shawn Noonan.<\/p>\n

Police officers from Scranton, Dunmore, Throop, Pittston, Pittstown Twp., Hughestown, Wilkes-Barre and Wilkes-Barre Twp. also participated in the media event.<\/p>\n

\"State<\/p>\n

State Sen. Marty Flynn, D-22, Dunmore, at podium speaks on Monday, March 9, 2026 at PennDOT district headquarters in Dunmore on \u201cOperation Sober Shamrock,\u201d to remind the public to avoid drinking and driving while participating in St. Patrick\u2019s Day festivities and attending parades. (JIM LOCKWOOD \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"Lackawanna<\/p>\n

Lackawanna County District Attorney Brian Gallagher, at podium speaks on Monday, March 9, 2026 at PennDOT district headquarters in Dunmore on \u201cOperation Sober Shamrock,\u201d to remind the public to avoid drinking and driving while participating in St. Patrick\u2019s Day festivities and attending parades. (JIM LOCKWOOD \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"Pennsylvania<\/p>\n

Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Bob Urban, at podium speaks on Monday, March 9, 2026 at PennDOT district headquarters in Dunmore on \u201cOperation Sober Shamrock,\u201d to remind the public to avoid drinking and driving while participating in St. Patrick\u2019s Day festivities and attending parades. (JIM LOCKWOOD \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"Shawn<\/p>\n

Shawn Noonan of the Pennsylvania DUI Association, at podium speaks on Monday, March 9, 2026 at PennDOT district headquarters in Dunmore on \u201cOperation Sober Shamrock,\u201d to remind the public to avoid drinking and driving while participating in St. Patrick\u2019s Day festivities and attending parades. (JIM LOCKWOOD \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 4<\/p>\n

State Sen. Marty Flynn, D-22, Dunmore, at podium speaks on Monday, March 9, 2026 at PennDOT district headquarters in Dunmore on \u201cOperation Sober Shamrock,\u201d to remind the public to avoid drinking and driving while participating in St. Patrick\u2019s Day festivities and attending parades. (JIM LOCKWOOD \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

The parades in Scranton on Saturday and in Wilkes-Barre on Sunday are expected to draw large crowds.<\/p>\n

The St. Patrick\u2019s Parade in Scranton is one of the largest parades in the country celebrating Irish heritage.<\/p>\n

Noting the parades in both cities should draw about 100,000 people, Flynn said,\u00a0\u201cOur message today is simple: Enjoy the celebration, but plan ahead\u201d to avoid impaired driving via designated drivers, ride-sharing services or taxis, Flynn said. \u201cHave a great St. Patrick\u2019s Day, celebrate responsibly, but most importantly, get home safely.\u201d<\/p>\n

The annual parades are part of a great tradition of celebrating Irish heritage in Northeast Pennsylvania, and authorities want the events to be family friendly and safe, Gallagher said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you plan to drink, do not drive. Use a ride share. There truly is no excuse,\u201d Gallagher said. \u201cWe will enforce the law. Anyone who chooses to put others at risk through drunk driving, disorderly conduct or other criminal behavior, will be held accountable and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the next week or so, state and local police will have increased patrols for DUI throughout the region, Urban said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaking the right decision before you go out can prevent tragedy,\u201d Urban said. \u201cIf you choose to drive impaired, you can expect to be stopped and you can expect to be arrested. So please, celebrate responsibly and remember, drive sober or get pulled over.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even a few drinks or puffs can impair judgment, Noonan said, adding, \u201cThere is no safe level of alcohol or drugs when you\u2019re behind the wheel.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

STAFF<\/p>\n

The Penn York Highlanders Bagpipe Band from Athens march down Lackawanna Ave. in Scranton during the St. Patrick\u2019s Day Parade in 2019. Jason Farmer \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

\"AA three-leaf clover floats in the Wilkes-Barre St. Patrick\u2019s Day Parade on Sunday, March 9, 2025. (JASON ARDAN \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
\nDUI law<\/p>\n

The Act 24 Driving Under the Influence Law enacted in 2003 lowered Pennsylvania\u2019s legal limit of alcohol from 0.10 to 0.08, created a tiered approach toward DUI enforcement and treatment, and changed penalties, terms of suspension, fines and other requirements. The combination of an individual\u2019s blood alcohol content (BAC) level, and prior offenses, determines the licensing requirements and penalties, and with a focus on treatment for first-time DUI offenders, rather than strictly punishment and suspension.\u00a0 Act 24 created three levels of DUI:<\/p>\n

\u2022 General Impairment BAC: 0.08 to 0.099%<\/p>\n

\u2022 High BAC: 0.10 to 0.159%<\/p>\n

\u2022 Highest BAC: 0.16% and higher<\/p>\n

Cost of a DUI<\/p>\n

The costs associated with an impaired driving arrest can vary depending on factors including blood alcohol content, location of arrest and number of offenses. The effect on a driver\u2019s wallet starts the moment they are stopped by police. Here are a few expenses associated with a DUI:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Traffic fine: $300-$10,000 depending on blood alcohol content and number of offenses.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Towing vehicle: $175-$500.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Impound: $75-$175 per day.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Legal fees: $2,000-$8,000 or more.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Alcohol evaluation: $35-$100.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Accelerated rehabilitative disposition (ARD): $100-$1,800.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Education and treatment: $100-$1,000 or more.<\/p>\n

\u2022 License restoration: $76 noncommercial, $184 commercial.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Insurance premium: increase of about $1,000 a year or cancellation of policy.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Other ramifications may include court appearances, community service requirements or jail time, possibly leading to lost time, wages or even employment. A DUI conviction also may impede attempts to get a job and cause embarrassment to an offender and their family.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"DUNMORE \u2014 In advance of upcoming St. Patrick\u2019s Day celebrations and parade festivities in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, officials…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":133757,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[201,182,803,139,28,178,180,179,181],"class_list":["post-133756","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-scranton","tag-lackawanna-county","tag-local-news","tag-luzerne-county","tag-news","tag-pennsylvania","tag-scranton","tag-scranton-headlines","tag-scranton-news","tag-top-stories-stt"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133756","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=133756"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133756\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/133757"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=133756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=133756"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=133756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}