State Police and local law enforcement to crack down on impaired drivers through Halloween

ALBANY, N.Y. – Governo Kathy Hochul said State Police and local law enforcement will be out in force through Halloween in order to crack down on impaired and reckless driving starting on Friday, Oct. 27 – through Tuesday, Oct. 31. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports Halloween is a particularly deadly night due to the high number of impaired drivers on the roads. Between 2015 and 2019, there were 126 drunk-driving fatalities on Halloween night nationwide. Of those fatalities, 41 percent occurred in crashes where there was at least one drunk driver involved. Children out trick-or-treating, and those who accompany them, are also at risk. During Halloween night 2019, four pedestrians were killed in drunk-driving crashes.  

During last year’s initiative there were 1,006 accidents, which included 109 personal injury crashes and three fatalities. Troopers also arrested 189 people for DWI and issued a total of 11,601 tickets.

A reminder, if you plan to head out and celebrate Halloween, NHTSA offers these simple tips for a safe and happy evening:

• 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.  
• Use your community’s sober ride program.  
• If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact law enforcement.
• Have a friend who is about to drink and drive? Take the keys away and make arrangements to get your friend home safely.