Halloween is coming! And officers will be driving around, looking for cute girls in costumes to pull over drivers operating a motor vehicle above a 0.08% blood alcohol level. As of this writing (October 29th, 2009), I am not aware of any formal DUI checkpoints (which, statistics show, don’t work anyway). However, the more successful DUI Saturation Patrols are going to be in force this Halloween weekend, especially near areas where Halloween Parties are going to be commonplace.

The press release below, sent to me as a Lawyer in Orange County who practices DUI, is the police attempt at humor. The California AVOID campaign also has mention of special enforcement for Halloween.

Motorists Beware: Drunk Driving Will Not Be Tolerated!

Don’t Let Halloween Turn into a Horror Story

Halloween is a much-loved fall tradition that is enjoyed by people of all ages, but it is a particularly deadly night due to drunk drivers. This is why the “Avoid the 12” DUI Task Force will be cracking down on drunk drivers with an aggressive DUI enforcement effort.

“With Halloween falling on a Saturday this year, we want to make sure revelers aren’t taking the party to the roadways, putting trick-or-treaters and responsible motorists at risk,” said Sgt. J. Brittain of the Sheriff’s Department’s Traffic Bureau. “Law enforcement officers throughout the region will be out in full force arresting and removing drunk drivers from our roads.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2008, 58 percent of all highway fatalities across the nation on Halloween night (6 pm Oct. 31 to 5:59 am Nov. 1) involved a driver or a motorcycle rider with a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. In California, 462 individuals have been killed or injured in Alcohol Involved Collisions during the past five Halloween nights – 2004-2008.

The “Avoid the 12” Task Force will be deploying additional DUI patrols on Friday & Saturday night. Additionally, every traffic and patrol officer working this weekend will be focusing on removing impaired drivers before they crash. Funding for this program is from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The “Avoid the 12” Task Force also recommends these simple tips:

Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin;

Before drinking, please designate a sober driver;

If you’re ‘Buzzed’ – impaired, and haven’t designated a sober driver, use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation so you are sure to get home safely;

If you happen to see a drunk driver on the road, don’t hesitate to contact law enforcement;

‘Report Drunk Drivers – Call 9-1-1’

For more information, please contact Media Relations at (714) 647-7042. For information on “Avoid the 12”, please visit www.californiaavoid.org.

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