Nighttime is a dangerous time to be on the road, but Halloween is often the deadliest nights of the year for impaired drivers. In 2008, 58 percent of all highway fatalities across the nation on Halloween night involved a driver or motorcycle rider with a Blood Alcohol Content of .08 or higher, according to the National Traffic Safety Administration.
Carroll County Sheriff’s Capt. Shane Taylor said the department’s focus this weekend will be the safety of kids out trick-or-treating.
“We have in the past, and again this year, have extra officers working and patrolling the busiest neighborhoods,” he said.
The sheriff’s office plans to have high visibility, keeping drivers slowed down and cautious of heavy foot traffic from kids going door-to-door.
“Obviously, if one of our officers encounters a drunken driver, we will arrest them as well,” Taylor said. “We try to saturate the subdivisions with deputies to have high visibility and deter crimes.”
He advises that kids be accompanied by an adult when out trick-or-treating.
“Groups of kids are better than a single child,” Taylor said. “Make sure you use a flashlight.”
He also advises trick-or-treaters to stay out of the road as much as possible.
“We prefer your kids travel one side of the street at a time, going up the road and the other side coming back,” Taylor said. “Our officers will be handing out reflective glow bands the kids can wear at several functions and churches leading up to Halloween.”
Residents can stop by the sheriff’s office Friday to pick up the bands. Taylor also encourages anyone who sees someone suspicious or driving in an unsafe manner to call 911.
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