We were talking about the dangers of drinking and driving on Thursday's show. St. Patrick's Day is coming up and that holiday is absolutely aligned with heavy drinking.

Will people drink responsibly? The Massachusetts State Police are doing their part to ensure people are driving sober on the days leading up to the holiday.

Rare Massachusetts Sobriety Checkpoints Taking Place

Worcester County and Hampden County which include two of the bigger cities west of Rte. 128, Springfield and Worcester.

Worcester County 3/15-3/16

Hampden County 3/14-3/15

Drinking and driving is no joke, two of my family members have lost their licenses and paid hefty fines.

More importantly, you could seriously harm, or even kill yourself or someone else. More now than ever before, there are so many options available to get transportation if you are over the limit.

Taxis. Uber. Lyft.

The legal limit to drive in the State of Massachusetts is .08 BAC. Depending on your size and weight and how much you have had to eat, .08 BAC may only be 2 beers!

Every day, about 28 people in the United States die in drunk-driving crashes — that's one person every 52 minutes. In 2019, these deaths reached the lowest percentage since 1982 when NHTSA started reporting alcohol data — but still, 10,142 people lost their lives. These deaths were all preventable. -nhtsa.gov

Notice that this is a "sobriety" checkpoint. Law enforcement are not only on the lookout for drivers who may be drunk, but high on other drugs as well.

You can’t drive safely if you’re impaired. That’s why it’s illegal everywhere in America to drive under the influence of alcohol, marijuana, opioids, methamphetamines, or any potentially impairing drug–prescribed or over the counter. Driving while impaired by any substance—legal or illegal—puts you and others in harm’s way. -nhts.gov