While many adults have already celebrated Halloweekend, the actual Halloween holiday is still Tuesday, October 31. And while your neighborhood may have already had its trick-or-treat night, there are still going to be plenty of kids participating tomorrow evening. Unfortunately, as the American Automobile Association has found, Halloween isn’t all candy and costumes. It’s also the deadliest day of the year for child pedestrians, reports Boston 25 News.
Halloween isn’t just dangerous for children, though. It’s also the second-deadliest day of the year for all pedestrians, with November 1 taking the top spot, presumably due to parties lasting until after midnight. There is, of course, the need for parents to keep a close eye on their kids while they’re out trick-or-treating, and local governments could do a better job installing sidewalks and street lighting. Really, though, the main thing here is that if you’re driving a car, don’t be a dick on the one night of the year when you know for a fact there are going to be tons of pedestrians in areas where they normally aren’t.
If you can, AAA recommends that you avoid cutting through neighborhoods and residential areas to save time. Also, pay extra attention to trick-or-treaters and slow down. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has found that while driving 25 mph may not feel like much of a difference compared to 35 mph, that extra 10 mph more than doubles the likelihood that you’ll kill a pedestrian if you hit them.
And while we wish we didn’t have to say it, if you’re driving, make sure you’re sober. In 2021, 38 people were killed in drunk driving crashes on Halloween night alone. You obviously shouldn’t drive drunk any other night of the year, but it’s especially important to be completely sober on a night when you know there’s a risk that a child in a dark costume could run out into the middle of a dimly lit street.
Even if you haven’t had anything to drink and technically don’t break any laws, will you really ever get it off your conscience if you’re the reason someone’s child ends up hospitalized or dead?