If you think a Halloween costume will disguise your drunken or drug-impaired driving, Yolo County’s Avoid the 8 DUI task force has a message just for you: Keep the party off the road.

The task force will be deploying additional saturation patrols to supplement routine patrols in several communities in the county during the weekend before Halloween.

“Local revelers should be aware that their Halloween disguises won’t make them invisible to the police, sheriff or CHP officers who will crack down on drunken and drug-impaired drivers throughout the region,” Davis Police Chief Landy Black said.

Nighttime is always a dangerous time on the road, but Halloween can be particularly scary if you get behind the wheel drunk or find yourself around a drunken driver.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 41 percent of all highway fatalities throughout the nation during the Halloween period in 2010 (6 p.m. Oct. 29 to 6 a.m. Nov. 1) involved a driver or a motorcycle rider with a blood-alcohol concentration of .08 or higher.

To keep safe this Halloween, the Avoid the 8 Coalition recommends these simple tips:

* Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin;

* Taking medication or using drugs can impair your driving; never mix them with alcohol;

* Before drinking, designate a sober driver, and leave your car keys at home;

* If you’re impaired, take a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation so you are sure to get home safely; and

* If you see a drunken driver on the road, call 911.

Funding for this operation is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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