‘Operation Sober Shamrock’ to target impaired drivers in Delco, statewide
In the lead up to St. Patrick’s Day — which conjures images of pub crawls, green beer and toasts to Irish heritage — local police departments are going to be cracking down on people driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
From March 7 through March 17, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, the Pennsylvania DUI Association, AAA and municipal law enforcement departments across the state are partnering to execute an impaired-driving enforcement program called “Operation Sober Shamrock.”
More than 250 police departments and 300 officers are involved in the effort, said Pennsylvania DUI Association Regional Program Administrator Jim French at a March 4 press conference at the Haverford Township Police Department headquarters. Police will be setting up impaired driving checkpoints and conducting roving patrols to get impaired drivers off the streets, in an effort funded in part by PennDOT’s statewide distribution of federal funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Local municipalities participating include Haverford Township, Lower Merion Township, Upper Darby Township, Aldan Borough, Yeadon Borough and East Lansdowne Borough.
At the press conference, Haverford Township Police Chief John Viola underscored how high the stakes are when individuals choose to drive drunk or high.
“Over the years, with my partners in law enforcement here, we’ve seen so many DUI deaths and serious accidents that could have been avoided,” he said.
Viola added: “When you have to knock on somebody’s door at 1 or 2 o’clock in the morning and inform a family that their loved one was in a serious accident or…[was] a DUI death, it’s impactful for us, and for a lifetime for the family.”
During the 2025 St. Patrick’s Day holiday period — Friday, March 7, through Monday, March 17 — there were 67 crashes involving an impaired driver, resulting in two fatalities, according to PennDOT data.
Viola said DUI arrests were down slightly last year compared to previous years, which he attributed to increased enforcement efforts.
“In this day and age, drunk driving is 100% preventable,” said Jana Tidwell, manager of public and government affairs at AAA MidAtlantic. “There is no excuse, with rideshare, Uber, Lyft — put the apps on your phone, have a friend designate a sober driver, spend the night somewhere, give someone else your keys.”
Pennsylvania DUI Association Program Administrator Jim French said part of the problem is that driving under the influence is a “socially acceptable crime,” leading to jail sentences that don’t always reflect the severity of killing or seriously injuring another person with a car.
“Why is an impaired driving death looked at differently than one committed via gun violence?” he said.
