Recently, throughout the country, kids everywhere dressed up as their favorite superheroes or cartoon stars and enjoyed trick or treating to get candy. In many cases, the parents have just as much fun as the kids to see them with smiles on their faces having fun. But, as fun as Halloween might be for families in Connecticut and throughout America, there is a dangerous reality to acknowledge: kids, as pedestrians on Halloween, are more likely to be hit and killed in a pedestrian accident.
In fact, according to a recent report that examined data from 2015 collected by the National Safety Council, a large percentage of pedestrian deaths in car collisions that year were attributed to dark clothing or low lighting conditions making it harder for drivers to see the pedestrians – the exact type of conditions present on Halloween for trick or treaters. In addition to that data, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that children are twice as likely to die in a pedestrian accident on Halloween.
Although it is incumbent on parents and kids to look after their own safety on Halloween by being aware of traffic and avoiding erratic, darting movements into the street, drivers must also be aware of their surroundings at all times, not just on Halloween. Many of our readers in Connecticut who took their children trick or treating probably shook their heads more than once as a vehicle sped down a street crowded with trick or treaters.
Pedestrian accidents can be avoidable if drivers pay attention to their surroundings and focus their full attention on driving. However, when a child or adult is injured in a pedestrian accident, the injured party may be able to pursue financial compensation from the negligent driver who caused the collision.
Source: Fortune, “The Real Halloween Horror: Kids Are Twice as Likely to Be Killed in Car Accidents,” Sy Mukherjee, Oct. 31, 2017
