ICYMI: Halloween DWI Patrols In The Bayshore

Police in the Bayshore plan to conduct a DWI Saturation Patrol on Halloween weekend.

“This Halloween, police chiefs in the Bayshore area are reminding Halloween partiers that Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving,” police said in a news release. “If your Halloween party involves alcohol then you have to make a plan to get home without getting behind the wheel.”

The Bayshore Task Force is comprised of Aberdeen, Atlantic Highlands, Hazlet, Holmdel, Highlands, Keyport, Keansburg, Matawan, Middletown, and Union Beach police.

According to the news release:

It plans to deploy officers as part of a DWI Saturation Patrol on Halloween weekend after nine of those departments received $10,000 grants each from the state Division of Highway Traffic Safety for saturation patrols over the next 12 months.

The other departments plan to use Drunk Driving Enforcement Funds to pay for the patrols.

“If you want to stay safe this Halloween then make a plan to get home without driving if you’ve been drinking,” Aberdeen Chief John T. Powers, president of the Bayshore Task Force, said in a prepared statement. “Even one drink impairs judgement, 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 those killed in crashes on Halloween night (from 6 p.m. Oct. 31 to 5:59 a.m. Nov. 1) between 2009 and 2013 were in crashes that involved a drunk driver.

Police say trick-or-treaters and their parents are also at risk: 19 percent of fatal pedestrian crashes during that time frame also involved drunk drivers.

Police offered the following tips:

• “Plan a safe way to get home before you attend the party. Alcohol impairs judgement, as well as reaction time. If you’re drunk you’re more likely 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.”