{"id":9105,"date":"2023-10-26T15:29:39","date_gmt":"2023-10-26T22:29:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tariolawmtvernon.com\/?p=9105"},"modified":"2023-10-26T15:29:41","modified_gmt":"2023-10-26T22:29:41","slug":"reduce-risk-halloween-pedestrian-accidents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tariolawmtvernon.com\/reduce-risk-halloween-pedestrian-accidents\/","title":{"rendered":"Keep Your Kids Safe on Halloween: Reduce Risk of Halloween Pedestrian Accidents"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Every Halloween, more than 40 million American children venture out into the night for trick-or-treating. While parents often fear the classic “boogeyman” dangers like hidden razor blades or lurking predators, the reality is that the most significant threat on Halloween is car accidents. In fact, more kids are injured and killed in car accidents on Halloween than from any other danger<\/a> and children are over twice as likely to be killed by a car while walking on Halloween night compared to any other time of the year (Safe Kids USA). Most of these Halloween pedestrian accidents happen between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m., particularly during the sunset hours when reduced visibility makes drivers less aware.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preventing Halloween Pedestrian vs Car Accidents<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Leticia Manning Ryan, an expert in pediatric emergency medicine, notes that the rise in pedestrian injuries on Halloween isn’t solely due to drivers’ negligence. Children often wear masks that limit their vision or costumes that can easily trip them. Additionally, excitement can lead kids to dash across streets unexpectedly, forcing drivers to make sudden maneuvers, sometimes resulting in collisions with other vehicles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best way to prevent Halloween pedestrian vs car accidents is for both drivers and pedestrians to be extra aware. Young children should be accompanied by a sober adult who makes sure their child is watching out for cars, using crosswalks appropriately, and never dashing out into the road from behind parked vehicles. Parents should remind their older children to be cautious of cars and to follow this basic safety protocol before they head out. In addition, kids must be able to see out of their masks and should not wear costumes that they could trip on. Drivers should slow down and commit 100% of their attention to the road, keeping an eye out for kids darting in between cars or running across the street outside of a crosswalk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your child is (or was) injured in a Halloween pedestrian accident, seek the help of an experienced local Mount Vernon pedestrian accident lawyer. The attorney can review the circumstances around the accident and help you fight for a fair settlement \u2013 even if the driver wasn\u2019t 100% at fault.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Halloween Car Accidents Data<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to the NHTSA<\/a>, drunk driving accounts for almost half of traffic fatalities on Halloween. Statistics from 2017-2021 reveal the grim reality, with 159 people losing their lives in drunk-driving accidents on Halloween nights in those years (trafficsafetymarketing.gov).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 2015 report by Alcohol Monitoring Systems showed that when Halloween falls on a Saturday, drinking violations occur at a rate 4.5 times higher compared to the average increase when Halloween falls on any other day of the week. This can likely be attributed to adult parties on a Saturday night that serve alcohol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other Halloween Child Safety Issues<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s keep Halloween fun by preventing avoidable child accidents! Apart from car accidents, parents must be vigilant about other Halloween hazards, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n