This Halloween weekend, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office is reminding Halloween party goers that Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving. If your Halloween party involves alcohol, we urge you to make a safe plan to get home, without getting behind the wheel.

Sheriff Mark Curran said, “If you are going to drink, plan to get home by taxi or designate a sober driver. Buzzed driving is drunk driving, so plan ahead and stay safe.”

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office will deploy extra traffic safety patrols to identify and arrest alcohol and drug-impaired drivers during the Halloween weekend. Deputies will also focus efforts on seat belt and speed enforcement.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), from 2009-2013, 43 percent of all motor vehicle crashes on Halloween night involved drunk driving.

Undersheriff Ray Rose suggested these tips to stay safe this Halloween weekend:
- Designate a sober driver or take public transportation.
- Walking while impaired can be just as dangerous as drunk driving. Designate a sober friend to walk you home.
- If you see a friend you think is about to drive while impaired, don’t let them! Help them get home safely.
In addition to traffic safety, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office will have increased neighborhood patrols during Halloween weekend while children are trick-or-treating. Sheriff’s detectives will provide additional monitoring of registered child sexual offenders, to ensure they are in compliance with the law, and not participating in trick-or-treating.

The law enforcement traffic crackdown is funded through a grant from the United States Department of Transportation, National Highway Administration. The grant is administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation, Division of Traffic Safety.