Highway Patrol boosts Halloween enforcement

NASHVILLE — Tennessee Highway Patrol officials announced Monday they intend to boost their visibility and DUI enforcement this Halloween in an effort to “ensure a safe and happy evening” for children and families out trick-or-treating, as well as for other drivers.

“This is a time when we see vehicle and pedestrian traffic increase,” THP Col. Tracy Trott said in a news release. “Our traffic enforcement patrols will be increased using the latest technology to conduct traffic enforcement saturations and checkpoints.”

Trott’s advice?

“Don’t choose to get behind the wheel if you’ve been drinking. Always designate a sober driver. Our goal is to keep children safe so they can enjoy their Halloween festivities.”

According to the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, 17 people died during the 2016 Halloween holiday. Seven of the 17 fatal crashes were alcohol related.

As of last Tuesday, there have been 99 pedestrian fatalities in Tennessee in 2017. That’s 17 more pedestrian deaths compared to the same time last year, the department said.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration figures, meanwhile, show that 45 percent of all Halloween motor vehicle deaths from 2011 to 2015 involved drunken driving.

“I’m asking everyone to help us not make Halloween any ‘scarier’ by just slowing down a little with the safety of our kids in mind,” Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner David W. Purkey said. “Let’s allow the little ones to have fun without fear of being run over by reckless drivers.”

It is illegal to drive with a blood-alcohol content of .08 or higher. In 2016, Tennessee alcohol-impaired driving fatalities averaged 20.7 percent, and the THP arrested 7,986 impaired drivers.

So far this year, state troopers have arrested 6,194 impaired drivers.