Crime & Safety

LITH Police Cracking Down on Drunken Drivers this Halloween

Lake in the Hills Police will crack down on drunken drivers this Halloween.

Halloween party-goers are reminded by the Lake in the Hills Police to refrain from driving if they've had too much to drink this Thursday night. 

The LITH Police Department will crack down on drunken drivers on Halloween as part of its Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign. 

Police are planning an aggressive enforcement effort. James Wales, director of Police and Public Safety, warns to all partygoers to keep the party off the street. 

“The scariest part of Halloween is not the spooky costumes and scary pranks, it’s drunk drivers," Wales said. "All too often, partygoers don’t plan ahead and choose to drive after drinking, but a costume can’t disguise drunk driving."

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, from 2007-2011, 52 percent of all national fatalities occurring on Halloween night involved a drunk driver.

Young men are particularly at risk of being involved in a traffic crash as a result of "buzzed" or drunk driving. Males ages 21-34 comprised almost half of all drunk drivers who were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes nationwide during the 2011 Halloween period. 

“If you celebrate with alcohol, you don’t belong behind the wheel,” Wales said.

Eric Decker, sergeant in charge of the LITH Police Traffic Unit said, “A sober and safe ride after the party is the best treat you can give yourself and everyone else on the road this Halloween in Lake in the Hills” 

To keep safe this Halloween, Sergeant Decker recommends these tips:

  • Before the Halloween festivities begin, plan a way to safely get home at the end of the night.

  • Always designate a sober driver.

  • If you are impaired, take a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, use public transportation or sleep it off at the party location.

  • Walking impaired can be just as dangerous as drunk driving. Designate a sober friend to walk you home.

  • If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact local law enforcement.

  • If you know someone who is about to drive or ride after drinking, take their keys and help them make safe travel arrangements to where they are going.

The law enforcement crackdown is funded by federal traffic safety funds through the Illinois Department of Transportation. Any Criminal or Traffic Complaints that have been filed against any individual named herein are only accusations.

The defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a Court of Law. All inquiries regarding this Press Release are to be directed to the Office of the Director of Police & Public Safety unless otherwise noted


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.