BOO! Did I scare you? I am fairly confident that your answer is no, I didn’t scare you at all. But what should really scare you are the drunk drivers out during Halloween. If you are having a Halloween party, or attending one, then this article is for you.
October 31 is a day for children to go out in the evening, knock on doors and yell ”trick or treat,” hoping to receive a treat such as candy. However, over the years, Halloween has also become a time when adults will dress-up in a wide variety of costumes and go out to a party. Last year it was estimated that almost three-fourths of all Americans celebrated Halloween in some fashion. At the same time, it has also become expected that any adult Halloween party will have alcohol.[1]
Halloween: It’s A Scary Night
Unfortunately, this has resulted in a greater percentage of impaired driving fatalities. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), from 2007-2011, 52 percent of all traffic fatalities occurring in the U.S. on Halloween night involved a drunk driver.[2] Considering that typically one-third of overall traffic fatalities involve an impaired driver – that is a dramatic increase. Young men are particularly at risk of being involved in a traffic crash as a result of “buzzed” or drunk driving. Males, ages 21-34, comprised almost half of all drunk drivers killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes nationwide during the 2011 Halloween period.[3] For whatever reason, people are not making plans to get home safely—and that is just scary!
Tips For Hosting A Halloween Party
Law enforcement officers across the country are out in force to stop impaired drivers, but it is up to all of us to do everything that we can to stop this disaster from happening. Are you hosting a party with alcohol? Keep your guests safe by:
- First and foremost—never serving alcohol to anyone under 21
- Making sure you have non-alcoholic drinks and food available
- Considering not serving any alcohol in the last hour of your party, and
- Taking responsibility to see that your guests get home safely, either by having access to a taxi or a sober ride.
Tips On Attending A Halloween Party
Make your plans before going to the Halloween party.
Are you attending a party with alcohol? Before leaving home, plan to get back safely from the party by:
- Having a designated driver who drinks no alcohol, or
- Having a taxi phone number available and then using it, or
- Hiring a shuttle or limousine, or
- Arranging for a hotel, or staying with your hosts on the night of the party
If you are walking from the party, keep in mind that walking impaired can be just as dangerous as drunk driving. Make sure to have a sober friend walk with you.
Halloween is a time for laughter and fun times. It is can be filled with zombies, super heroes, magical creatures and people everywhere pretending to be someone or something else. However, Halloween is not the time to release our inhibitions and be a drunk driver. Safety for ourselves and everyone else around us is still an important consideration when going out, and rule number one is: Don’t drink and drive. By following that simple statement, we can avoid a truly scary night.
Going out to a party? What’s your costume going to be?
Here’s a short clip from NHTSA – Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving
[1] Move Over, Kids. Halloween is for Grownups, CNN Celebrates, October 30, 2012. Found at: http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/22/world/halloween-culture-adults/index.html
[2] 2013 NHTSA Halloween Campaign, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
[3] 2013 NHTSA Halloween Campaign, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
