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Coalition issues Halloween driving reminder

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For Greene County News

XENIA — This Halloween, Greene County Safe Communities Coalition is reminding partiers that “Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving.” The coalition is reminding party-goers that, “If your Halloween party involves alcohol then you have to make a plan to get home without getting behind the wheel.”

“If you want to stay safe this Halloween then make a plan to get home without driving if you’ve been drinking,” said Greene County Safe Communities Coordinator Ashley Steveley. “Even one drink impairs judgment, so plan to get home by taxi, ride share, mass transit, or designate a sober drive. Buzzed driving is drunk driving, so think ahead to stay safe.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 43 percent of all people killed in motor vehicle crashes on Halloween night (6 p.m. Oct. 31-5:59 a.m. Nov. 1) from 2009-2013 were in crashes involving a drunk driver. On Halloween night 119 people lost their lives over that same period.

Children out trick-or-treating and the parents accompanying them are also at risk as 19 percent of fatal pedestrian crashes on Halloween night (2009-2013) involved drunk drivers. It is illegal everywhere in the United States to drive with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher.

The coalition offers these tips for staying safe:

  • Plan a safe way to get home before you attend a party. Alcohol impairs judgment, as well as reaction time. If you’re drunk you’re more like to choose to drive drunk.
  • Designate a sober driver, take public transportation, a car service, or call a sober friend or family member to get home.
  • Walking while impaired can be just as dangerous as drunk driving. Designate a sober friend to walk you home.
  • If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact local law enforcement when it is safe to do so.
  • If you see someone you think is about to drive while impaired, take their keys and help them get home safely.

For more information on the coalition and how you can be involved, call Ashley Steveley at 937-374-5624 or email [email protected].

Content provided by the Greene County Safe Communities Coalition.