According to the Salt Lake Tribune and Utah Highway Patrol, law enforcement will focus on making the streets safe for Halloween festivities. The UHP is planning a statewide drunken driving blitz for Saturday night. Last year, police did the same thing and were able to make 343 arrests.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a motor vehicle accident is considered alcohol-related when at least one driver involved in the crash has a blood alcohol concentration of .01 gram per deciliter or higher. On average, someone is killed by a drunk driver every 45 minutes. In 2007 there were 284 alcohol related deaths in Utah. That number is 22% of the total accident fatalities, the lowest percentage in the country.
It is a tremendous blessing to live in a state where drunken-driving fatalities are relatively low compared to other states in the country. But despite the low average, we should not stop until drunk-driving related fatalities are eliminated. Be safe this weekend and enjoy a Happy Halloween!