Tips To Avoid A New Haven Auto Accident This Halloween

It’s almost time for the ghosts and goblins to come out, sneak up to our front doors, ring the door bell and proclaim, “TRICK OR TREAT!” That’s right, Halloween is upon us and we want to make sure the festive and frightful atmosphere of a good old fashioned trick or treating outing does not get interrupted by the frightening site of real danger. It is important to understand how you can do your part to keep all the little costumed trick or treaters free from getting into a New Haven auto accident and making Halloween go from playfully scary to real-life scary in a matter of seconds.

First, it’s important to underscore that there are two parties that need to be involved in the protection and safety of kids when they are out on Halloween night. The first, is the kids themselves and we will cover how they can keep themselves safe in another blog post. The second is you, the driver, who will be on the road in the evening and may or may not be aware that there are far more little children traipsing through the Elm City on Halloween then there typically are on any other October evening. As the driver, it is your responsibility to take every step you can take to prevent an accident from happening.

When you get behind the wheel on October 31st you need to remember that even if you’ve had a long day at work, even if you have other things on your mind, this is a night to remain focused and alert while driving home. While you should remain alert every night, Halloween night in particular is a night to double down on your abilities to stay focused on the road in front of you. You should also do the following things to make sure you are keeping all kids safe.

1.) Slow down. It’s always important to maintain a safe speed, especially when driving through densely populated neighborhoods, but on Halloween night it is doubly important. Not only will you want to follow the speed limit, but you may want to slow down even slower then the posted speed limit and really be deliberate about your speed when you’re driving during the hours of trick or treating especially. Speed kills and if you’re traveling even slightly over the speed limit and come in contact with a child you could be putting their lives at serious risk.

2.) Understand the timing of trick or treating. While much of the activity of trick or treating happens between the hours of 6p-8p there are outliers. Younger children, who will likely be out with their parents, will be trick or treating when there is still some light in the sky and may be out as early as 4:30p, be aware that they are out and about walking around. Older kids, who have broken free from their parents for the night may be out past 8p to maximize the amount of candy they can receive while trick or treating. It is important to realize that there can be kids out from 4p-10p and if you’re driving between those hours on Halloween you should be extra alert.

3.) Don’t get distracted by that adorable Barbie and Ken costume. Barbie and Ken are going to be big costumes this year along with so many other wonderful trick or treating outfits for kids. You already have a million possible distractions in your vehicle, don’t allow yourself to be distracted by kids passing by with good costumes on. If you’re looking at one group of kids who has particularly great costumes on you might miss the kids who are crossing in front of your car unexpectedly. It is important that you always keep your eyes on the road in front of you. You can save time for costume gazing when you get home and are handing out candy.

Halloween night can be fun and exciting for all those that are involved, but it can be quite dangerous too. The last thing you want to do when you’re on the road is to put yourself in a situation where you are causing a New Haven auto accident and injuring a child who is out collecting candy. Take the time you need to get home safely and do so without distraction so you can spend some quality time at home handing out candy and enjoying the holiday.

Everyone here at the Loricco Law Firm wishes you a Happy and Safe Halloween.