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Jed Boal ReportingGhosts and goblins aren't the only ones haunting the streets around Halloween, drunk drivers are on the rise.
Trooper Jeff Nigbur, Utah Highway Patrol: "Halloween is indeed becoming an adult holiday."
The troopers who keep our roads safe say more people drink and drive on Halloween now than in decades past. To make sure everyone travels safely between Halloween parties this weekend, the Utah troopers will patrol Utah roads more intensely.
Halloween has become a heavier drinking celebration over the years, up there with New Year's and St. Patrick's Day. Troopers and community advocates want all of us to get home alive.
Cute kids in costume will prowl the neighborhoods Tuesday for tricks and treats and many adults will haunt the town for parties this weekend. Mothers Against Drunk Driving says the message is critical and the message works.
Art Brown, MADD President: "Studies show that when you publicize a DUI blitz, it automatically drops the death and injury rate 20-25 percent. People are aware that if they drink, they better find a safe way home."
Extra troopers will patrol this weekend, through Tuesday. Funding for special patrols like this comes from grants distributed through the State Office of Highway Safety.
Trooper Jeff Nigbur, Utah Highway Patrol: "Halloween is indeed becoming an adult holiday. People go out, dress up and involve alcohol."
While the drinking may have gone up for Halloween parties, our communities have reduced DUI fatalities two-thirds during the past decade. According to MADD, in 1996, Utah had .45 drunken driving deaths per 100 million miles driven. This year that rate has dropped to .15 drunken driving deaths per 100 million miles driven.
And people who drink are picking sober drivers more often.
Trooper Jeff Nigbur, Utah Highway Patrol: "Out of all the stops we made, a very high percentage of them were designated drivers."
But if you're on the wrong side of the crash, the numbers don't make a difference.
Art Brown, MADD President: "Nobody objects to alcohol, lawful use, but you have to find a safe way home."
Here's another important safety reminder, with costumes for kids and adults, it's not always easy to buckle up. Make sure you don't skip that lifesaving step; figure out a way to buckle up or put on the costume when you arrive at your destination.
