Villa Park police are urging residents to line up a sober ride before heading to Halloween parties on Saturday, Oct. 31, citing federal data that shows the holiday is a particularly dangerous night for alcohol-related crashes.
Between 2020 and 2024, 201 people were killed nationally in crashes on Halloween night involving at least one driver with a blood alcohol concentration of .01 or higher, according to a Villa Park Police Department advisory issued with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Of those, 176 deaths involved a driver at or above the legal limit of .08.
The victims included 144 drivers and passengers and 31 pedestrians. Halloween night is defined in the data as 6 p.m. on Oct. 31 through 5:59 a.m. on Nov. 1.
During the same five-year period, more than half of people ages 21–34 killed in traffic crashes were in drunk-driving incidents, the advisory said.
Nationally, one person was killed every 44 minutes in a drunk-driving crash in 2024, according to NHTSA.
The advisory also warns about drug-impaired driving. Marijuana, prescription medications and over-the-counter drugs can all slow reaction times and impair lane control, the department said.
The department did not announce any specific Halloween enforcement patrols or DUI checkpoints as part of the advisory. Villa Park Police participated in a statewide "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" campaign over Labor Day and conducted a speed enforcement effort in July that resulted in one DUI arrest and 130 speeding citations.
Villa Park's official trick-or-treat hours run from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday. The department's message to anyone heading out after that: designate a sober driver, use a rideshare or taxi, and arrange the ride before drinking.
Residents who spot an impaired driver on the road should contact local law enforcement.
