This Halloween, local police will crack down on drunk drivers with an aggressive Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement effort, and SRJC Distirct Police has given a fair warning to all partygoers: keep the party off the road.

"The scariest part of Halloween is not the spooky costumes and scary pranks, it's the impaired drivers. All too often, partygoers don't plan ahead and choose to drive impaired, but a costume can't disguise drunk driving," said Greg Damron, Coordinator at Community Action Partnership in Santa Rosa.

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

In 2011, when Halloween fell on a Monday, 44 percent of the nation's fatalities during the Halloween weekend occurred in a crash involving a driver or a motorcycle operator with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher. Thirty-eight percent of fatalities on Halloween night occurred in a crash involving a driver or a motorcycle operator with a BAC of .08 or higher.

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." Hilleary Izard, Coordinator at SRJC 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."

To keep safe this Halloween, SRJC 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, or use public transportation.
• 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 while impaired, take their keys and help them make safe travel arrangements to where they are going.

For more information, please visit www.TrafficSafetyMarketing.gov or visit your local DD Hero Event:

Wednesday, October 23rd from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

on Bertolini Quad on the Santa Rosa Campus

This year the CSL is exploring a unique theme about leadership, using the TED talks online (www.ted.com).

These talks are approx. 20 minutes long and will allow participants to engage in stimulating conversations afterwards.

Our intention is to create a supportive, inspiring and engaging exploration around leadership development using projected talks.

Wednesdays, Noon-1pm, FREE and open to the entire community

Center for Student Leadership-First Floor Bertolini Building

  Upcoming Ted Talk:

  Wednesday, October 23rd from 12 - 1 p.m. in CSL

  How to Start a Movement, Derek Sivers, (4mins.) & 

  Learning From Leaderships Missing Manual,

  Fields Wicker Miurin, (16 mins.)