NATIONWIDE — Local law enforcement agencies and national safety leaders are urging people to stay scary safe this Halloween.

Their message is that buzzed driving is drunk driving, so don’t drink and drive.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said while it understands many celebrate by indulging in alcohol, even “one alcoholic beverage could be one too many for some drivers.” It added that if you decide to indulge in some “witch’s brew,” make sure you have a designated sober driver.

“This Halloween 2022, let’s make happy memories, not tragic nightmares. The only thing scarier than zombies and witches loose on the streets is an impaired driver,” said the NHTSA on its website.

During the years 2015 to 2019, NHTSA said there were 126 people killed in drunk-driving crashes on Halloween night, from 6 p.m. on Oct. 31 to 5:59 a.m. Nov. 1.

Forty-one percent of those killed during the same years were in crashes that involved at least one drunk driver.

Nighttime is a more dangerous time to be on the roads, especially when kids are trick-or-treating in the dark. In 2019, the rate of alcohol impairment among drivers involved in fatal crashes was 3.3 times higher at night than during the day.

People don’t have to be in a car to be affected. On Halloween night in 2019, four pedestrians were killed as a result of drunk-driving.

Even if you’re walking, arrange for a sober ride or walk home with a sober buddy.

Approximately one-third of all traffic crash fatalities in the United States involve drunk drivers with blood alcohol concentrations at or above .08. In 2020 alone, there were 11,654 fatalities from drunk-driving crashes, according to NHTSA.