Highway Safety Menu

Increased DUI Enforcement For Halloween

Pumpkin is carved with the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Logo

With Halloween right around the corner and the World Series in full swing, some things you might see this weekend are witches, ghosts, ninjas, scary clowns, and Dodgers and Red Sox fans.

One thing you will definitely see this weekend is extra police officers working DUI patrols.

To help make sure everyone gets home safely, law enforcement officers throughout the state will be working more than 170 extra shifts to deter, detect and remove impaired drivers from Utah’s roads. Increased DUI enforcement includes a DUI checkpoint and two concentrated DUI blitzes.

Ghouls and goblins aren’t the only scary sights lurking on Halloween. Drunk drivers put themselves and others at risk, and their actions can be deadly for you or a loved one. Halloween should be a night of good memories, not nightmares. Even one alcoholic beverage could be one too many for some drivers, so if you plan to drive, plan to refrain from alcohol. If you plan to drink, be sure to arrange a sober ride home in advance. Stay safe on Halloween night, and every night.

Plan Before You Party

Don’t let plans get away from you—it’s imperative to your safety and the safety of others to plan a responsible ride home from the party. If you leave your house unprepared to get home safely, you may not make the best choices by the end of the night. Here are a few tips to help you prepare for a safe night out.

  • Remember that it is never okay to drink and drive. Even if you’ve had only one alcoholic beverage, designate a sober driver or plan to use public transportation or a ride sharing service to get home safely.
  • If you see a drunk driver on the road, call 911.
  • Have a friend who is about to drink and drive? Take the keys away and make arrangements to get your friend home safely.

One Way or Another, You’ll Pay for Drunk Driving

  • On average, a DUI can set you back $10,000 in attorney’s fees, fines, court costs, lost time at work, higher insurance rates, car towing and repairs, and more.
  • The financial impact from impaired driving crashes can be devastating: based on 2010 numbers (the most recent year for which cost data is available), impaired-driving crashes cost the United States $44 billion annually.

MEDIA CONTACT: Sgt. Nick Street, UHP PIO, nstreet@utah.gov 801-554-5659

HALLOWEEN INCREASED DUI ENFORCEMENT BY THE NUMBERS

Over 170 extra DUI shifts will be worked by law enforcement officers throughout the state during the weekend before and through Halloween.

2 DUI blitzes will be held - one on 10/27 and one on 10/31

One DUI checkpoint will be held on 10/26

Every instance of DUI is 100 percent preventable

 

Too many of these treats will trick you. Buzzed driving is drunk driving. Designate a sober driver. Don't be the real monster this Halloween.

Will just one more be one too many? Don't let Halloween turn into a nightmare. Buzzed driving is drunk driving.

It doesn't have to be a potion to be deadly. Buzzed driving is drunk driving. Designate a sober driver. Don't be the real monster this Halloween.

 

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