It’s Halloween and AAA is reminding everyone - not just drivers - about safety once trick-or-treaters are out and about.
Halloween is a busy night for foot traffic with kids trick-or-treating, and since it is on a Friday, it might be even busier.
Because Halloween falls on a Friday night with no school the next day, more children are expected to be out trick-or-treating and AAA’s Jana Tidwell says drivers should reduce distractions.
"You want to be able to have the necessary reaction time if you need to make a sudden stop. If a kid or a group of kids darts out in front of you in excitement, you want to be able to react safely," said Tidwell.
And for adults, Friday also makes it easier to have parties and drink.
AAA reminds partygoers planning to drink to have a designated driver, use rideshare apps or stay over wherever you’re going.
Tidwell says Halloween is a dangerous night.
"According to Safe Kids Worldwide, children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than any other night of the year,” said Tidwell. “This is why AAA is urging motorists, parents and trick-or-treaters to take traffic safety seriously on Halloween."
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about 40% of Halloween crash fatalities involve drunk drivers.
Parents are reminded to make sure kids wear an easily seen costume when it gets dark. You can do that by putting reflective tape on their costume or having a flashlight on at all times, even if it’s from a cell phone.
