Each year, millions of children across the United States anxiously await the time of year that they’ll get to hit the nearest Wal-Mart, Target or Party City to pick up their Halloween costume. Meanwhile, others are ordering their costumes on Amazon or making their own one-of-a-kind piece from odds and sods at home.
For parents, the promise of Halloween means their children learn all about candy and “taxes,” but it can also strike fear in their hearts as they worry about their children getting hit by cars while running from house to house at lightning speed.
While parents have worried about poisoned candy and razor blades in apples for generations, there are other dangers that lurk on Halloween that parents should be more concerned about.
This year, Halloween falls on a Monday, so parents can expect teens and adults to be partying all weekend long, beginning Friday, Oct. 28, and running through Monday, Oct. 31, which means there will undoubtedly be more drunk drivers on the roads over Halloween weekend.
Halloween is Notoriously Dangerous
By its nature, Halloween is known for being dangerous. Children can trip on long costumes, fingers can get cut during pumpkin carving, lit pumpkins can cause fires, and fun props like sticks and plastic swords can cause eye injuries, but of all the dangers, car accidents are among the worst.
On Halloween, car accidents and pedestrian injuries are extremely common, and often alcohol is involved. According to Safe Kids Worldwide, “Children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween as on other days of the year.”
According to AAA, as children go trick-or-treating on Halloween, their risk of being injured by motorists increases significantly. The risk of injury for trick-or-treaters is so high on Halloween that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) lists Halloween as one of the three deadliest days of the year for pedestrians.
In addition, the NHTSA reports that between 2009 and 2013, 43 percent of the traffic-related deaths that occurred on Halloween night were alcohol-related, and 26 percent of the pedestrians who were killed on Halloween were struck by a drunk driver.
Parents, please be extra careful this Halloween and teach your children to pay attention to cars on the road. To help motorists see your children better, have them use glow sticks and glow necklaces.
Instead of letting your children trick-or-treat alone, go along with them to ensure that they aren’t running into traffic without looking for oncoming vehicles, and make sure they use crosswalks. A little vigilance on your part can go a long way in ensuring that your child does not become another NHTSA statistic.
If your family is affected by a pedestrian accident or a drunk driver around Columbia, please contact our office to speak with a personal injury attorney for free.