Aside from Christmas Eve, October 31 is also one of the favorite nights of the year that millions of children and teenagers in the United States, and also in the world, anticipate. The chance to dress up and go trick-or-treating around the neighborhood or hosting Halloween parties with friends excites these youngsters that sometimes they forget basic highway safety when crossing the streets while running, or while playing with each other.
According to the Medicine Department of the University of British Columbia in Canada, pedestrians are 43% more likely to die due to being struck by a car on Halloween than any other night.
The study conducted by Dr. John A. Staples states that teenagers between 13 and 17 years are more likely to be hit by a vehicle (61 cases in 42 years) than children ages between 9 and 12 years (47 kids injured in the same period), but less than adults of 50 years or older (189 people injured on that time).
Additionally, 608 deaths were recorded and had occurred on Halloween were analyzed by personal injury lawyers and among them, men were more likely to be hit by cars (414) than women (194).
To conduct this study, Staples reviewed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) pedestrian accident statistics from 1975 to 2016, focusing on incidents that occurred on the evening of the deadliest day, October 31.
Accident Causes
The University of British Columbia concluded that the majority of these pedestrian deaths happened in residential neighborhoods and are due to:
- Lack of sidewalks
- Unsafe street crossings
- Shortcomings in public policy to control speed limits
Safety Tips for Parents
According to Safe Kids Worldwide, children are twice more likely to be hit by a vehicle on Halloween than on any other day of the year, thus you must follow these Halloween safety tips to avoid a tragedy on such a fun night:
- A responsible adult must accompany the trick or treaters.
- Avoid dark costumes.
- Use reflective tape in their costumes and candy bags.
- Give them glowsticks or flashlights to make themselves visible while walking.
- Plan your route and be sure that your children know it by memory.
- They must always walk on the sidewalk.
- Teach children how to cross at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks.
- They must always look at both sides of the street before crossing, just to be sure that no car is coming.
- They must be alert to detect any car turning or backing up.
- Children and adults must put down all electronic devices. You must be alert and walk, not run, to the other side of the road.
Safety Tips for Drivers
The National Safety Council (NSC) gives these safety recommendations to the parents and anyone who wants to be behind the wheel during the trick-or-treat hours (4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m)
- Watch for children walking on roadways, medians, and curbs.
- Lower your speed.
- Put down any electronic device and avoid distractions.
- Enter and exit driveways and alleys carefully.
- No speeding or racing along the driveways or alleys where trick-or-treaters may potentially and/or usually cross.
- At twilight and later in the evening, watch for children in dark clothing as well as children with glowsticks or flashlights.
- Discourage new, inexperienced drivers from driving on Halloween
- Stay alert for children that could cross mid-street.
Keep in mind that being hit by a car is only one of the many dangers to which your kids are exposed during Halloween. Therefore, you must never leave them alone and pay close attention to where they trick-or-treat and the candies they received.
If sadly, your kid got injured, remember that Farahi Law Firm is here for you.
We have experienced attorneys in child injuries and pedestrian accidents. Contact us today for a free evaluation of your case! Or you can call us at (844)824-2955). We are available 24/7.
