Law enforcement urging people to drive safe this Halloween

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- This Halloween, neighborhoods will be filled with children trick or treating while some adults may celebrate out on the town or at house parties.

It can be a dangerous mix, especially if alcohol is involved.

A study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association found the risk of pedestrian fatalities increased by about 43 percent on Halloween night.

"Any crash is traumatic, but when you deal with fatalities and things like that, and when you deal with innocent victims it's definitely a hard thing to deal with," says officer Johnny Woodrow with the CHP Visalia area.

Woodrow also says distracted and impaired driving are two of the top causes of car accidents.

In 2021, nearly 1400 people were killed by drunk drivers in California, a 16% increase from the year before.

"There is zero tolerance for DUI, if you are drunk or impaired, you are definitely going to be taking a trip to jail. And remember dui is not just alcohol it can be marijuana and prescription drugs, anything that impairs your ability to operate a motor vehicle," mentions Officer Woodrow.

Getting a DUI can also cost you upwards of 20,000 dollars and leave you without a license for months.

But most importantly, it puts you and others at risk.

"In today's day and age, you have so many options to not be drinking and driving so take a taxi, call a friend. There are so many rideshare companies available, or stay where you are for the night. A DUI is definitely not worth it," expresses Woodrow.

The Visalia CHP division plans to have several days of max-enforcement in the coming weeks in an effort to keep the community safe.

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