The Missoula Police Department is putting on extra patrols from Halloween evening on Friday, Oct. 31, through the weekend to reduce holiday drunk driving and the crashes and fatalities that come with it.
Halloween is scary enough without the added terror of drunk drivers on the road, said Sgt. Greg Amundsen. Halloween parties often involve alcohol, making it a particularly deadly night because of the numbers of drunk drivers on the roads.
Consider these numbers, provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:
- On Halloween night in 2012, almost half (48 percent) of all crash fatalities involved a driver of a vehicle or motorcycle with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 grams per deciliter or higher – the illegal limit in every state, including Montana.
In 2012, 19 percent of the fatal pedestrian crashes on Halloween involved drunk drivers.- Consequences dictated by drunk-driving laws are costly and devastating. Violators face jail time, loss of their drivers’ licenses and higher insurance rates, as well as attorneys’ fees, court cost, car towing and repairs, lost wages and embarrassment and humiliation.
When making Halloween party plans, make plans to stay alive.
- Make arrangements for how you’ll get home from a party.
- Designate a sober driver.
- People who are impaired and did not designate a sober driver can call a taxi, call a sober friend or family member or use public transportation. All of those options are cheaper than a DUI or a fatality.
- Consider a sober pedestrian to accompany impaired people walking home.
Missoula Police Department extra patrols are funded with a Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) grant through the State of Montana from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
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