More Children Die In Car Accidents On Halloween Than Any Other Day Of The Year
Parents have a number of concerns when it comes to their children’s safety on Halloween, not the least of them being the possibility of individuals who give out the candy potentially tainting it with some kind of substance or object that could injure a child when they open or consume it.
Sadly, tainted candy isn’t the biggest concern for parents on each Halloween night of every year: More American children die from car accidents on that night, each year, than any other day of the year. In general, children are three times more likely to be hit by a car on Halloween than any other day of the year, and for children between the ages of four and eight years old specifically are 10 times more likely to be hit on that night. In addition, the general population is also at risk: Adult pedestrians are reportedly 43 percent more likely to be killed due to a car accident on Halloween compared to a regular evening.
Why Halloween?
According to the JAMA Pediatrics study, a number of factors can come together on Halloween to produce every family’s worst nightmare:
- Children are sometimes dressed in darker clothing/costumes, which can be more difficult for drivers to detect
- Sometimes masks children are wearing can restrict peripheral vision
- Street-crossing safety is decreased at nighttime, given that crossing guards aren’t available in the evening
- Some adults and other partygoers may be impaired by alcohol consumption
Car Accidents At An All-Time High Every Day of the Year
With motor vehicle injuries being the second leading cause of death amongst children in the US (after gun injuries), and pedestrian fatalities overall being at a 40-year high in the country, it is worth taking a closer look at the devastation that car accidents in general wreak upon our lives each year. Sadly, the issue isn’t just limited to Halloween night, as there are a number of circumstances present at all times which now make our roads more dangerous than ever, every day of the year:
- Distraction that comes about not only from our phones, but new infotainment systems
- SUVs now make up half of all cars on the road and they have the ability to cause significantly more devastation when involved in car accidents
- Our roads are designed for cars and not for pedestrians and crosswalks
Room for Improvement
On Halloween and other days and nights of the year, there are a number of measures that can improve safety for children and adults on our streets, including cities starting open streets programs, whereby some streets are closed to cars to open up public space, including on nights like Halloween. This includes enabling residential neighborhoods to apply for permits to close off their streets to cars during certain days/times. Cities should include future designs and infrastructure which encourages people to be able to traverse them more safely, including having more sidewalks and good lighting
Macon, Georgia Car Accident Injury Attorneys
If you or a loved one has been injured by a car, contact our experienced Macon car accident attorneys at the Law Offices of Buzzell, Welsh & Hill today to find out how we can help.
Sources:
fox5atlanta.com/news/georgia-police-issue-warning-after-parents-report-needles-in-childrens-halloween-candy
vox.com/future-perfect/2022/10/31/23427256/halloween-children-car-deaths-pedestrian-safety
jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2711459
