Halloween driving can put pedestrians at risk. On Halloween, children may be running around trick or treating or enjoying the holiday. That, combined with parties on October 31, can create the risk of pedestrian accidents in Homestead and other cities.
Whether you have children or not, there are several things you can do to reduce your risk of traffic collisions:
- Talk to any young drivers in your home. If you have a young driver in your home, talk to them about the importance of adjusting their driving for Halloween. Remind them there will be more children on the road and more pedestrian traffic in general.
- Teach your children to trick or treat safely. If you have young children who are heading out for trick or treating, make sure their costumes are visible. Encourage them to carry flashlights and to have reflective tape on their outfit. Make sure your children are supervised and travel in a group with at least two adults—this will make them more visible. Use Halloween as a chance to discuss pedestrian safety, but keep in mind that the excitement of candy can make children make mistakes. Supervise carefully.
- Avoid driving on Halloween night unless you have to. Many people are choosing to have a movie marathon in their home or festivities in their own home. This can be a good alternative to being a pedestrian or driver on one of the busier nights of the year.
- Keep alert all day around the Halloween. Keep in mind children may be heading to school in costume and younger children may be trick or treating earlier in the night. Don’t assume you won’t see young children running around just because it’s not dark yet.
- Watch out for drunk driving. Halloween parties for adults can involve alcohol, and this means you need to be alert for drunk driving or high driving as well.
- Slow down. With everything that’s going on during Halloween night, it’s safest to slow down if you will be driving that night. If you have plans for October 31, give yourself extra time to get to your destination so you can stay safe.
- Put away distractions. Distracted driving in Homestead and across South Florida is always risk, but it is an even greater risk on a night when lots of children are out and about. Make sure you can put your full focus on the road if you will be driving.
The entire team at Flaxman Law Group wish you and yours a happy and safe Halloween. If you or your children are injured in a traffic accident during Halloween or at any other time, you can always reach a live person by calling Flaxman Law Group at 1-866-352-9626 (1-866-FLAXMAN). We can arrange a free, no obligation consultation so you can review your situation with a Homestead car accident attorney.