Drinking Violations Expected to Rise More than 30% this Halloween

The forecast for this Halloween: 30% boozier than usual. 

According to a study conducted by Alcohol Monitoring Systems (AMS), when Halloween lands on or near the weekend, alcohol violations spike, and by a significant amount.

When Halloween lands on a Friday or a Saturday, as it does this year, drinking infractions rise nearly 30%, compared to just 5% when it happens on a Monday.¹

AMS spokesperson Lou Sugo notes that for individuals with one of these monitors, the consequence of drinking is arrest or a jail sentence. "These individuals know they're going to be caught and face consequences. You can imagine the rate of drinking for those who aren't being monitored."

Additional data compiled for the 2013 book Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud shows:

• Two hospital admissions each minute are attributable to alcohol directly, a 65% increase over five years
• 22% of the 12 million home-accident injuries in 2012 were alcohol-related
• 58% of fire fatalities have alcohol in their systems, which presumably kept them from fleeing safely
• 45% of drownings are alcohol-related
• 15.5% of occupational injuries are alcohol-related
• 76% of incarcerated men and women claim to have been under the influence while committing their offenses
• 56% of assault victims have alcohol in their bodies
• A drinker is at a two-and-a-half-times greater risk of a violent death

Halloween can be a lot of fun--but it's also one of the most deadly times to be on the road. This year, use a BACtrack and make sure you are making the most informed decisions. 

Shop for a BACtrack now. 

1. Source: Examiner.com