Red-Light Running Spikes During Halloween in Missouri - Pedestrians and Trick-or-Treaters, Stay Alert

Every year around Halloween, it is important to remind parents of safety risks and tips as they venture out with their trick-or-treaters. In Missouri, there is reason to have even greater concern for pedestrians sharing the roadways this Halloween.

For residents of Missouri, Halloween time not only brings more pedestrians to the streets, it also brings out more red-light runners. 

The National Coalition for Safer Roads (NCSR) released a report that found Halloween was the top-ranked riskiest holiday for red-light running in the state of Missouri. This report, Safer Roads Report 2012: Trends in Red-Light Running, ranked the most dangerous holiday travel periods for intersection safety.

NCSR found that in Missouri, 39% more red-light violations occur around Halloween than the lowest ranked holiday travel period in the state (Super Bowl). Across the 18 states studied, there were more than 24,700 red-light running violations during the Halloween period in 2011, making it the fourth riskiest holiday period overall.

“Drivers should be extra cautious during Halloween as there are significantly more pedestrians sharing the roadways,” said David Kelly, President and Executive Director, NCSR, and former Acting Administrator of NHTSA. “Statistics about red-light running and overall intersection safety make this fact more tangible and heighten awareness about the risks that dangerous drivers create for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians alike.”

According to a Halloween Safety survey by Safe Kids USA, children being struck by a car or truck while they trick-or-treat tops the list of concerns for parents, with 31% claiming this as their biggest fear on Halloween.

Intersection-related vehicle accidents caused more than 8,500 casualties in 2011, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It is clear that red-light running remains an issue on roadways year round, beyond the peak of violations during Halloween and holiday travel periods in general.

For more information on NCSR’s Safer Roads Report 2012: Trends in Red-Light Running, please visit http://www.NCSRsafety.org/.