The most hazardous evening each year for young pedestrians is Halloween.
Halloween is often regarded as the kids’ best-loved evening of the year. They eagerly anticipate dressing up and knocking on their neighbors’ doors. The evening revolves around fun and goodies for them. Witches and a few ghosts simply enhance the atmosphere.
However, Halloween has a sinister aspect that parents should be aware of. On Halloween, there are four times as many child pedestrian accident fatalities as on a normal day. Contacting a Philadelphia, PA pedestrian accident attorney is a good case if such an incident occurs.
There are several explanations for why child pedestrian incidents rise on Halloween:
- More kids are playing in the streets.
- Children are likelier to be involved in pedestrian accidents during trick-or-treat hours, given it is Halloween.
- Kids who are excited frequently disregard safety precautions.
- Dark costumes make it difficult to see.
- Halloween also serves as a time for drinking-related adult parties.
Here are some precautions for trick-or-treating:
- Dress to be seen. Avoid dark masks and outfits that make it difficult to see. Instruct your child to use glow-in-the-dark face paint and brightly colored outfits with reflective accents instead. Give your youngster a light-up object to carry, such as a flashlight or glow stick.
- Make a travel plan in advance. Avoid crossing the street as much as possible, particularly at unmarked intersections. Trick or treating one side of the roadway before moving to the other is smart.
- When crossing streets, exercise caution. When crossing the street, be cautious. Never rely on the fact that a driver will see you and your kid. Attempt to cross at red lights or light intersections. Crossroads at the corner rather than in the center of a block if there are no clearly marked crossing zones.
- On the sidewalk alone. If your neighborhood lacks sidewalks, your child should cross the street close to the edge, facing oncoming vehicles.
- Keep watching your kids. It is possible that your kids believe they are of an appropriate age to participate in trick-or-treating by themselves. However, young toddlers lack the depth perception, peripheral vision, and decision-making abilities necessary to cross roads safely on their own. Even older kids may struggle to cross the street at night.
- Be on guard. It is vital to watch your child during trick-or-treating, even if you will undoubtedly receive a ton of Facebook comments praising your child’s costume in your mailbox. A little child can dart across the street or directly into the track of a moving vehicle in a matter of seconds.
