Law enforcement agencies across the state will work overtime this Halloween weekend to combat drunken driving.
Increased patrols are planned from Friday through Halloween, with a check point and two saturation patrols over the weekend along the Wasatch Front. The Utah Highway Patrol will conduct a DUI blitz on Halloween, according to a news release from the UHP.
Halloween nets one of the highest numbers of alcohol-related crashes of any holiday, and in years past it’s ranked No. 1, UHP Sgt. Evan Kirby said.
From 2007 to 2016, there have been 22 people killed in Utah on Halloween. Last year, three people were killed, according to Utah Department of Safety statistics.
Halloween ranks relatively low in alcohol-related holiday fatalities compared to other holidays, averaging fewer deaths per day during that nine-year period than the 4th of July, Pioneer Day, Labor Day, Mothers Day, Easter, Memorial Day and Thanksgiving.
Despite that, Kirby said Halloween is still a large drinking holiday.
“People are drinking more during this holiday, maybe more than an average holiday or an average weekend,” he said. “So, more people drinking, more people driving drunk.”
Kirby urged parents to be cautious with their trick-or-treaters and make sure they stay on sidewalks.