Drivers Beware: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over - Hometownstations.com-WLIO- Lima, OH News Weather Sports

Drivers Beware: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over

Halloween Safety Tips / Enforcement

There will be overtime enforcement beginning October 28th,

especially targeting impaired driving, restraint use, speed, and other risky driving behaviors.

Lima, Ohio [October 24, 2012]— As party-going ghosts and goblins celebrate Halloween this October, the Lima-Allen County Safe Community Coalition reminds everyone to keep the party off the road.   "There isn't a Halloween costume clever enough to hide an impaired driver who has made the poor decision to get behind the wheel," said Evelyn Smith. "Whether you've had one too many or way too many it is just not worth the risk. Remember, Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over."

Nighttime is an especially dangerous time to be on the road, but Halloween night is often one of the deadliest nights of the year for impaired drivers. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2010, 41 percent of all highway fatalities across the nation on Halloween night (6 p.m. Oct. 31 to 5:59 a.m. Nov. 1) involved a driver or a motorcycle rider with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher, which is illegal in every state. 

 October 26^th thru the 31^st deputies from the Allen County Sheriff's Office will be working overtime to stop and arrest impaired drivers.  Local law enforcement will be out all over Allen County on the lookout for impaired drivers.

 The Safe Community Coalition recommends these simple tips for a safe Halloween:       

•  
  • Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin;
  • Before drinking,  designate a non-drinking driver;

•  
  • If you're impaired, use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation;
  • If you happen to see a drunk driver on the road, don't hesitate to contact your local law enforcement;
  • And remember, Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk.  If you know someone who is about to drive or ride while impaired, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to get to where they are going safely.

 For more information, please visit http://www.nhtsa.gov/StopImpairedDriving

Contacts:

Evelyn Smith, Lima-Allen County Regional Planning Commission  - 419- 228-1836

Sgt. Scot Nolan, Allen County Sheriff's Office – 419-227-3535