It isn’t necessarily a drinking holiday. Truthfully it isn’t really a holiday. It’s a time for little kids to dress up in costumes. Its origins are believed to be in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. During Samhain people would scare off ghosts by dressing in costumes. The day has transformed into a child’s feast of trick-or-treating and candy collecting. It has also transformed into a bona fide drinking night. It is a dangerous mix: kids walking around at night in costumes and adults drinking then getting behind the wheel. Tragedy is inevitable. According to the National Center for Statistics and Analysis Halloween is the deadliest time for child pedestrian fatalities. Furthermore the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration believes that up to 26% of all of those pedestrian fatalities are alcohol involved. The statistics are staggering. Halloween can have deadly consequences if you choose to drink and drive.
Programs like the 24/7 Sobriety Program and others dedicated to ending drinking and driving have helped. Repeat offenders are required to wear alcohol-monitoring devices such as the SCRAM CAM bracelet. This requires participants to completely abstain from drinking alcohol of face harsh penalties. The success of the programs has been seen across the country. Don’t be a statistic. Don’t drink and drive.