Drive Sober This Halloween or Face 5-Figure Fines and Jail Time: Hinsdale Police

It’s against the law to drive under the3 influence any time of the year, but police in the western suburbs are cracking down on their traffic checks this Halloween.

The Village of Hinsdale, as well as Riverside, sent out releases this fall about their efforts to keep drunk drivers off the road.

In 2013, the Village of Hinsdale reported in their release, 10,076 people were killed in drunk driving accidents in the United States — about one-third of all traffic fatalities. That number has increased over the years. Driving after drinking should never be an option, the release states.

“Driving while alcohol- or drug-impaired is deadly, it is illegal and it will get you pulled over this Halloween,” Jeff Miller, Sergeant at the Riverside Police Department, said. “If you want to stay safe and stay out of jail this Halloween, make a plan to get home without driving if you’re impaired.”

Police remind residents that it is illegal to drive in any state with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 or higher.

Even if you aren’t killed or seriously injured in a drunk driving accident, if you get pulled over and don’t pass a sobriety test, you could be faced with more than $18,000 in charges and lose your driving privileges for one year — and that’s for just one DUI.

The main takeaway here? Plan ahead if you know you’ll be drinking, and make sure you have a safe ride home.

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