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Police on the Look Out for Drunk Drivers as Halloween Approaches

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Halloween has become a big party weekend not just for little kids, but also for teens and adults.  State and local police have increased patrols looking for impaired drivers through November 1st.  They’re especially watching for underage drinkers who get behind the wheel.

PennDOT spokeswoman Erin Waters says there were more than 12 hundred crashes last year statewide involving at least one underage drinker.  She says people under 21 do not need to have a blood alcohol level of .08 to be arrested.  If they have a level of .02, because it’s illegal for them to be drinking in the first place, they could face jail time and have their license suspended.

For adults who furnish alcohol to minors, Waters says there are fines of at least $1,000.00 for the first child and $2500.00 for each additional minor.

Last Halloween, Waters says there were more 300 accidents, involving 9 fatalities. Six of those deaths occurred in alcohol-related crashes. Halloween fell on a Sunday last year.

Holidays can be a deadly time on the roads. Waters says Halloween usually falls about in the middle, since it’s not a travel holiday such as Thanksgiving and the Christmas and New Year period.

Self Reported Drinking and Driving Falls, But Numbers Still High

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Drunk driving has fallen to its lowest level in nearly two decades according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but officials say the numbers are still too high.  Adults admitted to drinking and getting behind the wheel more than 100 million times last year. Those numbers have declined 30% in the past five years.   The statistics come from a national telephone survey. 

CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden says while there’s been real progress, drunk driving is still far too common.  He says while they’re pleased fewer people report drinking and driving, it’s still far too common.

Dr. Frieden says drunk driving is a public health problem with far reaching effects.  He says it puts everyone at risk, even the most responsible drivers and pedestrians.

Dr. Frieden says there are proven methods to reduce the number of drunk drivers on the roads. He says that includes sobriety checkpoints and ignition interlock devices. He says those devices are only used in about 20% of drunk driving cases.  He says the CDC recommends making interlocks mandatory for all offenders.

There’s some evidence the economy may be playing a role in the decline in the number of people who admit to drinking then driving. Dr. Frieden says it’s possible that people are drinking at home more.

Gwen Bergen, Behavioral scientist for the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, says they know there were not significant decreases in self reported drinking or  in self reported binge drinking during this period.