Transportation

Here’s the Scariest Thing You and Your Kids Will Face at Halloween


Want to really scare yourself this Halloween? Before you and the kids embark on their annual cavity quest of endless trick-or-treating, take a moment to remember the risks to pedestrian safety. 

Numerous studies and data from the likes of the National Safety Council, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and JAMA Pediatrics all show that Halloween is the deadliest day for pedestrians for the entire year. 

In fact, the numbers aren’t even close: Kids are more than twice as likely to be hit and killed by a car on Halloween than any other day of the year. Children between the ages of four and eight were the most vulnerable on Halloween; JAMA Pediatrics found kids in this age group were 10 times more likely to be struck and killed that night than any other. 

So what’s to blame for these awful numbers? Depends on who you ask. 

The authors of the JAMA study pointed to inherent deficiencies in public policy and highway construction. These are things that have nothing to do with Halloween itself other than the fact that the sharp jump in foot traffic every October 31 makes these deficiencies more acute. 

JAMA points to things like a lack of adequate speed monitoring, poorly lit and marked crosswalks, and insufficient public space for kids to safely play out of the reach of oncoming cars. 

Other experts point to the rise in SUVs that are both heavier (increasing the likelihood that a child that has been struck will die from their injuries) and harder to see out of than cars (increasing the likelihood that the child is struck in the first place). 

Then there’s the issue of distracted drivers. We did a study last year in which a full 90 percent of respondents said drivers distracted by their smartphones on Halloween were making it more dangerous today than ten years ago. 

The good news is that parents seem to be getting the message about how unsafe Halloween can be for kids. 

Our study found that 74 percent of parents had pedestrian safety in mind when they chose where to take the kids trick-or-treating. Fifty-six percent of respondents believed people drove more carefully on Halloween because of the risks to kids. And 62 percent of parents either chose their kids’ Halloween costumes based on visibility at night or significantly altered them to be more easily seen. 

The National Safety Council has a list of costume tips to increase your child’s safety, which includes things like avoiding masks which can impair a kid’s vision, use reflective tape, flashlights, and glow sticks when out after dark and — like drivers — put your phone down so you’re paying attention. 

That way, the scariest thing you’ll need to worry about this Halloween is figuring out who egged the house when you were out being safe with the kids. 



READ NEWS SOURCE

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.