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Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving --10.28.2010

COLUMBUS PUBLIC HEALTH – Press Release
 For Thursday, October 28, 2010

DRUNK DRIVERS CAN'T HIDE BEHIND HALLOWEEN COSTUMES
Drivers Beware:  Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving

Columbus, Ohio— As party-going ghosts and goblins celebrate Halloween this October, Franklin County Safe Communities reminds everyone to keep the party off the road. 

“There isn’t a Halloween costume clever enough to hide an impaired driver who has made the poor decision to get behind the wheel,” said Safe Communities Coordinator Karisa Harvey. “Whether you’ve had one too many or way too many it is just not worth the risk. Remember, Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving.”

Nighttime is an especially dangerous time to be on the road, but Halloween night is often one of the deadliest nights of the year for impaired drivers. Here in Ohio there were 129 alcohol-related crashes last Halloween, 79 of which resulted in injury and 2 in death. According to the Ohio Department of Public Safety, last Halloween night in Franklin County there were 18 crashes that involved a driver or a motorcycle rider with a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher, which is illegal in every state.

Safe Communities recommends these simple tips for a safe Halloween: 

  • Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin; designate a sober driver.
  • If you’re impaired, use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation;
  • Look for Grab-A-Cab cards at your favorite pub or restaurant. The cards list the numbers of local cab companies.
  • If you happen to see a drunk driver on the road, report it to Columbus Police at (614)645-4545
  • And remember, Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk.  If you know someone who is about to drive or ride while impaired, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to get to where they are going safely.


For more information, please visit www.StopImpairedDriving.org

For more information about Columbus Public Health or Safe Communities, visit www.publichealth.columbus.gov or www.fcsafecommunities.com