There is no denying that Halloween is one of the most fun holidays on the calendar. Fun for all ages, the amount of adult Halloween parties has exploded in recent years and has actually made the holiday one of the most-challenging for drivers and pedestrians as these parties result in a large number of intoxicated motorists ending up on the road.
The largest newspaper in Oklahoma, The Oklahoman, took a look at the dangers of Halloween and drunk driving last year and put together an interesting feature which examined the issue. The feature included insight from the a state safety representative along with some intriguing statistics we would like to share with the holiday coming up later this month.
Let’s take a look at some of the stats and insights about Halloween and drinking and driving:
- According to the National Highway Traffic Administration, over the span of five Halloween nights, 43 percent of all motor vehicle deaths involved drunk driving.
- According to the NHTSA, 26 percent of all pedestrian fatalities on Halloween night in 2013 involved a drunk driver.
- Halloween is on a Monday night this year and that might actually make drunk driving around the holiday worse as adult Halloween parties will likely be spread over at least two nights this year (Saturday and Monday).
- According to the NHTSA, Halloween trails only December 23 and January 1 as the most dangerous days for pedestrians.
- Halloween greatly increases the amount of pedestrians out and about on a given night.
- Most Halloween pedestrians also are out at night, when roads and sidewalks are more dangerous than during the day.
Now let’s focus on some tips which can make Halloween and driving on the holiday safer:
- Don’t let children roam the streets without an adult.
- Anticipate pedestrians even if there are usually none in the area.
- Watch for kids running into the street when you are driving.
- Be extra cautious about erratic drivers whether you are walking or driving.
- Obviously do not drink and drive, but also don’t drink and walk. Many people might not think about it, but being a pedestrian while intoxicated greatly raises your chances for accidents, especially with increased, potentially intoxicated traffic on the road.
