Halloween is a fun and exciting time of year, especially for kids who enjoy getting dressed up and eating lots of sweets! However, the risk of children being involved in road traffic accidents increases by 75% on Halloween night than any other night in the year. You can help minimise the risk of accidents on Halloween by reading our Halloween driving safety tips below.
Halloween driving safety tips
Whether you’re staying at home and watching scary films, or venturing outside to take the little ones trick or treating, Halloween can quickly turn into a nightmare for motorists and pedestrians. Avoid any real-life horrors this Halloween by following our Halloween driving safety tips.
Drive extra slowly
You should always drive to the speed limit, no matter what time of the year it is, unfortunately, not everyone does. On the majority of residential roads, the speed limit is 30mph, with an increasing number imposing a 20mph speed limit. On Halloween night, residential streets are likely to be busy with children out trick-or-treating, so it’s advisable to lower your speed 5-10mph below the speed limit.
Look out for children
If you’re out driving around Halloween, make sure you take extra care and attention to look out for children. Kids can be unpredictable at the best of times, let alone when they’re caught up in the excitement of Halloween and on a sugar high. Make sure you are aware of what they are doing and be prepared to make an emergency stop at any point.
Be careful, kids may be dressed in dark Halloween costumes, making it difficult to see them.
Manage distractions
With decorated houses, carefully carved out pumpkins and witches and wizards roaming the streets, it can be easy to get distracted when driving around on Halloween.
While it may seem harmless to take your eyes off the road for a second to admire someone’s Halloween display, it only takes a second for a child to run into the road.
Keep your wits about you and don’t allow yourself to become distracted. It may help you turn your music down or switch it off altogether; this will help you listen out for children and other pedestrians.
Don’t overtake stopped cars
Parents are likely to be dropping off and picking up children, so be considerate of this if you see a car stopped in the road. If you are behind a car that has stopped, refrain from overtaking it until you are sure it is safe to do so. Children may be getting out of or into the car, and overtaking could be extremely dangerous.
You should also take care when passing parked cars on the road; kids may be crossing or jump out from in between parked cars.
Safety tips for parents and trick-or-treaters
If you’re out trick-or-treating or taking your children out, you should spend some time going over some tips on how to stay safe on the roads. An adult should supervise young children at all times, and children should be taught how to cross the road properly.
It’s also a good idea to put reflective tape on your child’s costume or give them a flashlight to make them more visible to drivers. If you do decide to equip your child with a flashlight, make sure they know not to shine the light at drivers. You should also avoid using your phone when out trick-or-treating as this can easily distract you from what’s going on around you and cause an accident.
