Halloween DUI crackdown in Riverside County
Ghosts, goblins and ghouls may have free rein Saturday night — but there will be no room for drunken or drug-impaired drivers, according to authorities.
The Riverside County Avoid the 30 task force, named for the number of participating law enforcement agencies, will conduct an anti-DUI Halloween crackdown in a number of locations.
Area law enforcement agencies will deploy saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints as part of the nationwide “Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving” campaign, according to Riverside police Sgt. Robert Tipre, the Avoid coordinator.
“If you want to stay safe this Halloween, then make a plan to get home without driving if you’ve been drinking,” Tipre said. “Even one drink impairs judgment, so plan to get home by taxi, ride share, mass transit, or designate a sober driver. Think ahead to stay safe.”
Tipre said national statistics show that 43 percent of people killed in vehicular wrecks on Halloween night in the years 2009-13 were casualties of drunken or drug-impaired driving.
During that same period, about one-fifth of pedestrian fatalities on Halloween were the result of DUI, according to Tipre.
He said free resources are available to prevent tragedies and breaking the law. The California Office of Traffic Safety last year made the “Designated Driver VIP” mobile app available for download. It includes “map a spot” features that provide a list of locations where party-goers can connect with sober drivers for a ride home.
Alternately, the app also allows users to quickly order an economy ride via Curb, Lyft or Uber.
The Office of Traffic Safety has provided funding for Avoid campaigns on Halloween and other calendar events since 2008.
