Halloween Party In Joliet? Do You Have Plans For Sober Ride Home?

(The following press release is from the Joliet Police Department.)

JOLIET, IL — This Halloween, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is teaming up with the Joliet Police Department to remind everyone that Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving.

Drivers should be extra cautious on Halloween, as more pedestrians are out at night on the hunt for candy. Because of the parties, trick-or-treating, and other festivities, Halloween night can be especially dangerous on our nation’s roads.

Between 2016 and 2020, there were 129 drunk-driving fatalities on Halloween night. Adults between the ages of 21 and 34 had the highest percentage, 68 percent, of fatalities in drunk-driving crashes on Halloween night in 2020.

During that same night, 11 pedestrians were killed in drunk-driving crashes.

“While you are planning your Halloween costume and making your party plans, you should also plan for a sober ride home,” Joliet Police Chief William Evans stated in the press release. “Even one drink can impair judgment.”

Joliet police remind everyone that if you’re caught drinking and driving, you could face jail time, lose your driver’s license and your vehicle, and pay up to $10,000 in attorney’s fees, fines, car towing, higher insurance rates, and lost wages.

If you plan to head out for a night of Halloween partying, follow 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, call a taxi or a ride-share service to get home safely.
• If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact the Joliet Police Department.
• See a friend who is about to drink and drive? Take the keys away and make arrangements to get your friend home safely.