As communities nationwide prepare for Halloween celebrations, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the South Carolina Department of Public Safety (SCDPS) remind all drivers that Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving. Drivers should act responsibly and commit to sober driving to keep themselves, passengers, pedestrians, and other road users safe. This Halloween, let’s make happy memories, not tragic nightmares. The only thing scarier than zombies and witches on the streets is an impaired driver.

Scary Facts

From 2019 to 2024, on Halloween night (6 pm, Oct 31 - 5:59 am, Nov 1):

• 201 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes, which involve at least one driver who had a blood alcohol level of .01 or higher.
• 176 people were killed in crashes that involved a drunk driver with a BAC of .08 or higher. 
• More than half (54%) of the traffic collision fatalities among 21–34-year-olds during this 5-year period were the result of impaired driving-related collisions.
• Victims in these drunk-driving collisions included 31 pedestrians and 144 drivers and passengers.

You can view NHTSA’s Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving Campaign here: https://www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov/safety-topics/drunk-driving/buzzed-driving-drunk-driving/halloween

Please remind drivers to plan if they will celebrate with alcohol. If they plan to drink, they should plan for a sober driver to take them home.