Halloween is just around the corner and parents are enthusiastically picking out costumes for their children and making trick-or-treat plans. While every parent or guardian does their best to keep their children safe on Halloween, accidents can and do happen. In fact, Halloween is actually considered the most dangerous and deadly holiday of the year for child pedestrian fatalities.
While we don’t mean to spook you, your safety is important to all of us at Sheeley Law. Pedestrian accidents are the greatest risk while trick or treating, particularly during dusk, due to weather, costumes that are dark or have masks with limited visibility, poorly lit streets, lack of street-crossing safety, and the consumption of alcohol by some partygoers.
In fact, according to one study conducted by JAMA Pediatrics[1], kids have a greater chance of being fatally injured by a vehicle on Halloween than any other day of the year, including the Fourth of July and New Year’s Day. Below are the alarming statistics, followed by important safety tips to keep in mind when planning a costume and the neighborhoods you’ll visit:
Tips for Trick-or-Treaters
Avoid masks that obstruct vision.
Incorporate lights and reflectors into a child’s Halloween costume, so that they are visible to drivers.
Always accompany and keep a close eye on young children as you go door-to- door. Trick-or-treaters should always walk, not run, to the next house.
If you have older children that are making the rounds with friends, plan and review a route that is acceptable to you
Instruct children to travel only in familiar, well-lit areas and stick with their friends.
Trick-or-treaters should always stay on familiar, well-lit sidewalks and avoid using shortcuts through yards or alleys.
Always cross the street on a crosswalk, and teach children to look both ways before crossing.
Keep an eye out for cars that are turning or backing up, and do not walk between parked cars, as it can be difficult to see oncoming traffic.
Avoid distracted walking – put away smartphones and other devices while trick-or-treating.
Tips for Drivers
We all play an important role in keeping our children safe. Even if you not trick-or-treating, you need be on high alert for children, especially on Halloween. Below is friendly reminder of rules to follow:
Keep speeds low in residential areas.
Turn headlights on early to increase visibility, and take extra care when entering or exiting driveways or going through intersections.
Discourage new, inexperienced drivers from driving on Halloween.
Never drink and drive! Designate a driver, call an Uber or take a cab if you are partying on Halloween.
We at Sheeley Law encourage responsible driving every day of the year, and especially this Halloween as costumed children fill the streets. If you or a loved one are injured this Halloween, contact us, 24/7, at 401-619-5555. Attorney Ann Sheeley has more than 25 years of experience and a proven track record of helping pedestrian, car/truck, motorcycle and bicycle accident victims obtain maximum compensation for their losses and suffering.
[1] https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/2711459