This year, Halloween falls on a Friday, and all Kitsap County law enforcement agencies will be out on the roads working to keep our ghosts and goblins safe.
It will be dark, it could be raining and drivers as well as pedestrians will be distracted, and some will be impaired.
“On Halloween, the real horrors occur out on the road when people choose to drive impaired,” said Undersheriff Gary Simpson. “Impaired driving is a choice—a preventable one. We want to remind all Kitsap County drivers that if you’ve had any alcohol to drink or have used any drugs, you cannot drive.”
There are always other options: a designated, sober driver or a taxi. Your designated driver will be your friend for life, as they may save you from a tragedy.
In the past 10 years, 13 fatalities have happened in Washington State on Halloween, two of those in Kitsap County. That may seem like a small amount, but one is too many. If you plan to drink or drug on Halloween, plan now on how you will get home.
This Halloween, the enforcement campaign aims to save lives by reminding all drivers to follow:
• Before the festivities begin, plan a way to safely get home at the end of the night, have a designated driver or get a taxi.
• Walking impaired can be just as dangerous as impaired driving. Get a sober friend to walk you home.
• Dress in bright or reflective clothing.
• If you see an impaired driver on the road, call 911.
• If you know of someone who is about to drive or ride impaired, take their keys and help them make safe travel arrangements to where they are going.
In Kitsap County, the increased DUI patrols are funded through a grant from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC). It is the hope of the Kitsap County Target Zero Task Force, to reduce the number of traffic fatalities to zero by the year 2030. We hope to accomplish this through education, enforcement, engineering and emergency medical services.
Last year, Kitsap County fatalities were reduced by 68 percent, from 21 deaths in 2012 to 8 in 2013.
“It is a huge goal, but that’s the goal we must have,” Simpson said. “One life lost is one too many.”
For more information, visit www.wtsc.wa.gov.
