Sheriff’s free Holiday Ride Home program starts Thanksgiving Day and runs through Jan. 2 to prevent drinking and driving; Call 271-2501; It’s the 30th consecutive year for the program

Signs telling the public about the free Holiday Ride Home program have been put up around St. Bernard. Shown at one is Sheriff James Pohlmann, at right, with Lt. Brent Bourgeois of the Traffic Division.

For the 30th consecutive year, the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office will offer its free Holiday Ride Home program to prevent drinking and driving and it starts Thanksgiving Day and runs through Jan. 2, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

“Don’t drink and drive,” the sheriff said, “Please call the Sheriff’s Office at 271-2501 and we will bring you home, no questions asked.”

“Don’t take the chance of injuring someone else or yourself or getting arrested for driving while intoxicated,” Sheriff Pohlmann said, “It is not worth the risk.”

It was innovative when it was started in 1984m under then-Sheriff Jack Stephens. Sheriff James Pohlmann isn’t going to tamper with its success.

The free rides home are for any parish resident who has been drinking during the Thanksgiving-Christmas-New Year’s holidays – no questions asked, Sheriff Pohlmann said.

A sheriff’s deputy will pick you up and take you to your home in St. Bernard or, if you live out of the parish, you can be taken to a sheriff’s sub-station where you can make arrangements to be picked up there.

“We are proud of the Holiday Ride Home program,’’ Sheriff Pohlmann said. “And why not? It was innovative when it was started and it shows we don’t want anyone injured by impaired drivers.’’

Roughly 20 people a year take advantage of the offer, Sheriff Pohlmann said.

It’s hard to determine the impact the ride home program has on the number of people who may drive drunk, the sheriff said. “But we do our best to let people know of the free service and remove the temptation to try to make it home on their own.”

The Sheriff’s Office will be working in conjunction with State Police to battle drunk-driving by looking for impaired drivers. “We patrol vigorously looking for anyone who is driving drunk or on drugs.’’

“So it’s really an easy choice to make for a St. Bernard resident who has been drinking during the holiday season,” Sheriff James Pohlmann said.