The Scariest Thing About Halloween Has Nothing To Do With Ghosts
Child pedestrians are more at risk of being hit by a motor vehicle on Halloween than on any other night of the year.
Why Halloween?
Most Halloween festivities are held at dusk or even after dark. Many children are dresssed in black or dark colored costumes and those same children are often crossing streets at midpoints, rather than sticking to crosswalks.
Those same costumed “tiny humans” are often wearing masks or headgear that inhibits vision, hearing and other senses. With these dimished abilities, it can be easy for a child to step in front of a passing motorist.
Other factors that cause children to be more at risk than any other group is that their gross motor abilities are not fully developed and they may actually trip over their own feet while crossing in front of car. Children are also on sensory overload, distracted by shouts from friends, flashing lights on houses or costumes, and their own thoughts as they race to fill their buckets with candy.
13 Tips for Staying Safe and Celebrating Halloween
- Consider attending a trunk or treat party or trick or treating inside a shopping center.
- Organize a “block party” with your neighborhood and prohibit cars on that block on Halloween night.
- If trick or treating in a neighborhood with car traffic, decorate your child’s costume with reflective tape.
- Accompany children and hold hands while crossing the street.
- Practice safe crossing with older children before Halloween night.
- Give glow sticks to everyone in your family. Wear them.
- Take a flashlight. The street lights will not give you enough light to see trip hazards on the sidewalk.
- Make sure your child can see and hear well. Do not allow masks, hoods, or head wraps that inhibit hearing or vision.
- Make sure your child’s costume fits properly. Costumes should not have parts that drag on the ground or be loose enough to catch fire.
- Do not allow children to cross the street midway or enter the street between parked cars. Due to their short stature drivers can not see a child that darts out from between parked cars.
- If taking young children trick or treating, enlist the help of another adult. Strive for a 1:1 child to adult ratio on Halloween night.
- Trick or treat in your own neighborhood or one that is familiar to you and your child.
- Go to a Haunted House instead.
If you or someone you love is injured or killed due to someone else’s negligence, call The Thomson Law Firm today for a FREE consultation. The Thomson Law Firm represents people who have suffered a personal injury in Virginia or West Virginia. Please see our results page to learn more about how we have helped past clients after they have been injured in a car accident, truck accident, after a dog bite, after medical or pharmaceutical malpractice or been a victim of nursing home abuse. Call today to talk with someone who can answer your questions about your personal injury lawsuit.
