Montgomery police will be cracking down on drunk drivers this Halloween in an effort to reduce alcohol-involved crashes and pedestrian incidents.
“Driving while alcohol- or drug-impaired is deadly, it is illegal, and it will get you pulled over and arrested this Halloween,” said Deputy Chief Armando Sanders.
The crackdown will occur on Halloween night into the early morning hours of Nov. 1, and is part of the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement campaign funded through the Illinois Department of Transportation.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nationally 43 percent of all people killed in vehicle crashes on Halloween night from 2009 to 2013 were in crashes involving a drunk driver.
Sanders said children out trick-or-treating are also at risk, as 19 percent of fatal pedestrian crashes on Halloween night from 2009 through 2013 have involved drunk drivers.
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Even if you drive impaired and aren’t killed or seriously injured, you could end up paying as much as $18,000 for a DUI, Sanders said.
Sanders offered some tips for Halloween:
*Plan a safe way to get home before you attend a party and designate a sober driver or take public transportation.
*”Walking while impaired can be just as dangerous as driving impaired,” Sanders said. “Designate a sober friend to walk you home.”
*Sanders also urged residents to call police if they suspect a driver is intoxicated on the roads and to take keys away from intoxicated friends who should find alternate transportation.
“If you want to stay safe and out of jail this Halloween, make a plan to get home without driving if you’re impaired,” he said.