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Jed Boal Reporting"On Halloween they don't think we're out looking for them as hard as we are on those other holidays. So Halloween has become one of the heaviest DUI nights of the entire year."
The men and women who patrol our roads say more people drink and drive on Halloween now than in decades past, but troopers also fight back in greater numbers.
As we head into the weekend, Halloween parties are on many people's minds, but the Utah Highway Patrol wants everyone to be mindful of the decisions they make if they drink. State troopers tell us, that Halloween has become a heavier drinking night over the years, right up there with New Year's and St. Patrick's Day. They don't want to stifle any fun, but they want all of us to get home alive.
Ghosts, ghouls and goblins from Nibley Park Elementary School will hit the streets Monday for tricks and treats. Many will haunt their neighborhoods this weekend for Halloween parties.
Shauna Olson, Principal of Nibley Park Elementary School: "We want to make sure our kids are safe not only while they're here at school, but also when they're not at school. So we're happy to be part of this effort to keep our kids extra safe."
The UHP and the Utah Auto Dealers Association want to make sure all of them, and everyone in our communities, make it home safely.
Maj. Mike Kuehn/Utah Highway Patrol: "We'll be out in force this weekend with 50 extra patrols. We'll be aggressively enforcing the DUI driving laws in the state of Utah."
The auto dealers have pitched in thousands of dollars in recent years to pay for more patrols on the days notorious for drunken driving. They've helped fund 385 shifts to keep 350 impaired drivers off the road, 350 drivers who won't kill themselves or others.
Craig Brickmore, Utah Auto Dealers Association: "We help all of Utah by keeping drunk drivers off the road. They have no place on the road."
Nearly 80 Utahns died in DUI crashes in 2004, compared to approximately 50 victims of murder.
Art Brown, MADD: "When you drive in the community you have to have respect for the community in which you live. When you drive impaired, it really says you devalue life and do not respect the community in which you live."
They're simply asking all of us to obey the law. If you drink, make other plans for how you'll get home.
