As a driver, it is your responsibility to make certain you do not do anything to endanger others who are on the roads. Driving safely is very important every day of the year, but is especially important on high risk days like Halloween. CT Post reported Halloween is the biggest day of the year for pedestrian/auto accident fatalities, with twice as many deadly pedestrian accidents occurring in the evening on the 31st of October as compared with any other day of the year.
Drivers who understand the risks on the roads can make smarter choices when driving during the hours when kids are out on Halloween night. If motorists understand where the dangers exist, and why it is so dangerous to be out on Halloween night, they can help to save lives.
The first step for drivers who want to avoid Halloween pedestrian accidents is to know when and where the dangers are. This means knowing the areas where kids are more likely to trick-or-treat. Fortunately, you can find information about areas where lots of kids are likely to be out and about.
News Times, for example, published a report about where trick-or-treating is best within Fairfield County. The rankings looked at the percent of people living within each zip code in Fairfield County who are under the age of 18, as well as taking into account both total population and the percentage of the housing units in the area which are currently being lived in.
Based on this data, a determination was made that Stamford and Danbury were the two best trick or treating areas. These areas are likely to have lots of kids in them, since the criteria was set up to select the locations with the most kids out trick-or-treating. Drivers, therefore, need to be especially vigilant within these locations.
Drivers also need to know when kids will be out trick-or-treating. The statistics have demonstrated the elevated risk of Halloween pedestrian accidents exists between around 4:00 PM and 10:00 PM so these are the hours drivers need to be the most cautious. As it begins to get dark and it becomes harder to see children, motorists should be extra certain they are doing everything they can to keep their eyes out for kids in the road. Drivers need to remember children may be wearing dark costumes, so may be harder to see.
Finally, drivers need to understand how Halloween pedestrian accidents happen. In many cases, children will get hit when they run out from in between two parked cars or when they cross the road at an area other than a designated crosswalk. Drivers should be scanning ahead in the road at all times and should drive at or below the speed limit, especially in residential areas and locations where children are most likely to be on Halloween night.