Worcester Offers Halloween Trick-Or-Treat Hours, Safety Tips

WORCESTER, MA — Halloween is typically one of the deadliest days on the road — not for drivers, for pedestrians.

When you add kids running about collecting candy in costume, an earlier sunset and a party-atmosphere that can involve drinking, drivers typically kill or maim scores of pedestrians each Halloween, according to traffic data.

On Halloween in 2019 there were 41 fatal crashes in the U.S. with 13 pedestrians killed, according to Autoinsurance.org.

For 2022, Worcester officials are advising residents to confine trick-or-treating to between 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and to keep city streets safe by:

• Driving slowly, especially in residential neighborhoods
• Trick-or-treaters should wear bright colors
• Providing trick-or-treaters with flashlights
• Making sure costumes don't block vision
• Only visit homes that have porch lights on
• Go trick-or-treating in groups
• Don't accept rides or other offers from strangers

Sunset will be at 5:41 p.m. in Worcester on Halloween, and there's a 50 percent chance of rain, according to the National Weather Service.