OSP Arrests 31 Drunk Drivers on Halloween

Date: November 2, 2009

Oregon State Police were out in force for Halloween this year, and their efforts paid off. During the 12-hour time period from 6 PM, October 31, to 6 AM, November 1, troopers nabbed 31 drunk drivers in Oregon – more than double the total for Halloween 2008.

Drunk driving is a menace year-round, but Halloween parties can make the holiday a genuine fright night. Halloween is statistically the second deadliest holiday for pedestrians, according to Forbes.com. And, as previously reported on our website, most of the holiday’s traffic deaths involve a driver with a blood alcohol content over .08.

The good news in Oregon: Perhaps because of law enforcement efforts and public awareness, OSP was not called to a single fatal crash this Halloween.

According to KATU.com, state police made more than two DUII arrests in the following Oregon areas:

Location	No. of DUII Arrests
Springfield	10
Portland/Tualatin	6
The Dalles	4
Salem	3
Central Point	3
Albany	2
LaGrande	2

OSP was involved in a statewide and national law enforcement campaign, “Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest,” aimed at getting drunk drivers off the streets, from October 25 to October 31.

Supporting the effort, many of ODOT’s electronic reader boards statewide were programmed to display the message, “Drive Sober. Save lives this Halloween” on Halloween night.

We give Oregon State Police a round of applause for their lifesaving work this Halloween, but we also want to give credit to every Oregonian who made a decision not to drink and drive.

We thank the partygoers who might have really wanted to get home but made the choice to stay where they were instead of driving or designated a sober driver instead. We thank the hosts who gathered up their guests’ keys. We especially thank those who took on the role of a designated driver. Every person who refused to drive drunk made a choice that might have saved someone’s life.

Remember, driving drunk is not just a bad idea, it’s criminal, and it can kill. Drive sober, not just on holidays, but every single day, every single trip.