With Halloween this Saturday, Delawareans are advised to take extra precautions as drivers share the road with pedestrians.
With Halloween falling on a weekend, the expectation is more kids will be out trick or treating, and drivers are asked to slow down and watch for them near or entering the road.
Drivers should also put distractions away and stay focused, use headlights even before dark, enter driveways and alleys carefully and skip neighborhood shortcuts while trick-or-treaters are out.
Another concern for drivers with Halloween on a Saturday is parties and alcohol, and AAA’s Jana Tidwell says you should plan in advance to get home safely.
"Have a sober ride home before you indulge in alcohol at a Halloween party on Saturday night. Make sure you have a rideshare option. Have the apps on your phone, designate a sober driver to get you home. If you're in the neighborhood - walking home," said Tidwell.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration nearly one in two deaths during Halloween night in 2023 were alcohol related.
Trick-or-treaters should not wear masks when crossing streets, have a responsible adult with them, stay on sidewalks, travel in groups and visit only well-lit homes.
Delaware Office of Highway Safety community relations officer Kayla Mason has more tips for those trick or treating.
"We want all of our trick or treaters to make sure they're using the crosswalks when applicable and using the sidewalks. We want to make sure that they're looking left, right and then left again when they're crossing, and reminding them to make eye contact with the driver so that they know that the driver sees them,” said Mason. “One of the things we'd like to tell parents is to make sure that their child is visible, whether that means including a piece of reflective clothing, light clothing, glow sticks."
These tips are important as 76% of pedestrian fatalities occur at night according to the Federal Highway Administration, and children are more than twice as likely to be struck and killed by a vehicle on Halloween.
