ATHENS COUNTY, Ohio — The Athens County Sheriff’s Office is teaming up with federal traffic safety officials ahead of Halloween to remind drivers that buzzed driving is drunk driving, and to line up a sober ride before the celebrations start.
In 2024, one person was killed every 44 minutes in a drunk-driving crash on the nation’s roads, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. On Halloween night, from 6 p.m. Oct. 31 to 5:59 a.m. Nov. 1, alcohol remains a deadly factor: from 2020 through 2024, 201 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes on Halloween night, 176 of them in crashes involving a driver with a blood-alcohol level of .08 or higher, the agency said. The dead included 31 pedestrians, and more than half of the people ages 21 to 34 killed in traffic crashes over that span died in drunk-driving crashes.
“An important part of celebrating Halloween is planning to get to your destinations and back home safely,” Sheriff Smith said. “We’re partnering with NHTSA to share the reminder that Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving. If you feel any buzz, you should stay away from the driver’s seat.”
The sheriff’s office says drivers who plan to drink should arrange a designated sober driver or a taxi or rideshare before going out, rather than deciding after drinking, when judgment is clouded. Anyone who cannot drive should hand their keys to a sober driver, and friends should take the keys from anyone who has been drinking and is considering driving. Anyone who spots a drunk driver should contact local law enforcement.
Drive 100 percent sober, because Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving.
WATCH: Athens County sheriff urges sober driving ahead of Halloween — our full report is in the video below.
