Iowans are reminded to drive sober this weekend, and extra law enforcement will be out for a special traffic enforcement program. Over the past four years, an average of 68 people have died nationwide due to drunk driving during St. Patrick’s Day weekend.

In 2013, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 40 percent of all crash fatalities during the St. Patrick’s Day weekend involved drunk drivers and that number climbed to 55 percent from midnight to 6 a.m. Also, in 2012, 72 percent of fatal wrecks in Iowa were on secondary rural roads.