SALT LAKE CITY -- Law enforcement agencies all across the state had extra officers on the road Friday night, as Halloween is a big night for DUIs.
It was a successful night for the Utah Highway Patrol’s DUI blitz, as dozens of impaired drivers were taken off of Utah roads.
“We’re not going to tolerate it anymore,” Col. Danny Fuhr of the Utah Highway Patrol said. “We’re not going to have impaired drivers killing themselves or others out there putting themselves or others in danger.”
UHP added 160 troopers on patrol last night, officers out with one job: to find drivers under the influence. There were 33 DUI arrests made in Salt Lake County alone by UHP. The extra troopers volunteer, and it’s all in an effort to ensure Utahns celebrate safely.
“To get home after their destination, to be able to go out and enjoy Halloween night, enjoy the festivities, the costumes, but do so in a responsible manner,” Fuhr said.
The Utah County Sheriff’s Office set up a DUI checkpoint between Provo and Orem, where they made six DUI arrests.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drunk driving crashes kill three times as many people on Halloween than on New Year's Eve, and those numbers go up by nearly 40 percent when Halloween falls on a Friday or Saturday
“Most people don’t have to go to work, therefore they can stay up later and maybe get a little more intoxicated,” Fuhr said.
The group New Car Dealers of Utah donated $5,000 to help pay for the extra officers on duty.
“They get home safe, the motoring public gets home safe, families get home safe; we can't think of a better time than Halloween to help with this drunk driving blitz so we remain safe in Utah,” said Craig Bickmore with New Car Dealers of Utah.
