Staying safe on the roads this holiday

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) - Dayton Police are on patrol looking for impaired drivers.

"Some of the tell-tale signs driving without headlights is a big one, especially in an urban area like this.  We're looking for weaving inside of their own lane or maybe going in and out of travel while driving down the road," says Sgt. Jeff Thomas.

Sgt. Thomas is an 11 year veteran of the department.

So, he knows that on holiday weekends like St. Patrick's Day, there is usually a spike in the number of drunk drivers on the roadways.

And he wants you to be on the lookout.

"Watch for people driving a little slower than they should be, alcohol impairs your judgment and some alcoholics know this so they drive a little bit slower than what they should be.  Even though, they think they might only be doing 5 under the speed limit, they might actually be doing 20 or 25," explains Sgt. Thomas.

If you do plan on drinking alcohol this weekend, the ArriveSafe Program is there to help.  The goal is to stop people from getting behind the wheel drunk.  It was created by the Montgomery County Prosecutor's Office in 2007.  Since then, it's provided more than 3-thousand free cab rides home.

"The purpose of it is to make sure that you arrive home safe and don't end up in the court system with an OVI citation," says Sgt. Thomas.

The program offers free cab rides home to Montgomery County residents through 6 AM Monday. Cab fares up to $50 will be covered.

Just call 449-9999.