On Halloween, and Every Day, Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving

Even if you drive drunk and aren't killed or seriously injured you could end up paying as much $10,000 for a DUI.
Photo by: stevepb

This upcoming Halloween, area law enforcement reminds Halloween partiers that Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving. If your Halloween party involves alcohol, make a plan to get home without getting behind the wheel.

"If you want to stay safe this Halloween, make a plan to get home without driving if you've had anything to drink," said Susan DeCourcy, Regional Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Region 7. "Even one drink impairs judgment, so plan to get home by taxi, ride share, mass transit, or designate a sober drive. Buzzed driving is drunk driving, so think ahead to stay safe."

Trick or Treaters at Risk

On Halloween night* in 2018, 55 people lost their lives due to alcohol-impaired drivers. According to NHTSA, 52 percent of all highway fatalities across the nation on Halloween involved a driver or a motorcycle rider with a BAC of .08 or higher. Children out trick-or-treating and the parents accompanying them are also at risk -- 36 percent of fatal pedestrian crashes on Halloween night in 2015 involved drunk drivers.

It is illegal everywhere in America to drive with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. In 2015, 10,265 people were killed in drunk driving crashes. Even if you drive drunk and aren't killed or seriously injured you could end up paying as much $10,000 for a DUI.

Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving, so follow these simple tips to stay safe:

• Plan a safe way to get home before you attend the party. Alcohol impairs judgment, as well as reaction time. If you're already drunk you're more likely to choose to drive drunk.
• Designate a sober driver, take public transportation, a car service, or a call a sober friend of family member to get home.
• Walking while impaired can be just as dangerous as drunk driving. Designate a sober friend to walk you home.
• If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact local law enforcement when it is safe to do so.
• If you see someone you think is about to drive while impaired, take their keys and help them get home safely.

Sample tweets:

1. Halloween party? Check. Costume? Check. Sober ride home? You'd better check. Before the party starts. #BuzzedDriving is #DrunkDriving.
2. Designate a sober driver this #Halloween so you don't end up in the graveyard with the ghosts and ghouls. #BuzzedDriving is #DrunkDriving
3. A scary #Halloween tale: 55 drunk driving deaths occurred on Halloween night in 2018. #BuzzedDriving is #DrunkDriving
4. Don't trust your ability to drive after drinking alcohol. #BuzzedDriving is #DrunkDriving
5. Before you even plan your costume, plan your sober ride home from the Halloween party. #BuzzedDriving is #DrunkDriving