Halloween Safety Tips For VA Kids, Drivers From State Police

RICHMOND, VA — The mix of trick-or-treaters in costume and Halloween partiers can make for a dangerous combination, warns AAA Mid-Atlantic. Traffic safety concerns — increased pedestrian activity and drunk driving — converge on the Halloween holiday.

Virginia State Police reminds everyone, if you plan to celebrate with alcohol, then don’t drink and drive. According to the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, last Halloween weekend, there were 1,454 crashes on Virginia roads, resulting in 10 fatalities and 652 injuries; two of the deaths occurred in alcohol-related crashes.

Neighborhood Safety

If you haven’t done so already, parents and guardians should visit the Virginia Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry ( https://sex-offender.vsp.virginia.gov/sor) to identify the relevant addresses of convicted sex offenders possibly living or working in their neighborhoods, a news release from the state police said. This enables adults and guardians to make informed decisions on what residences/businesses to approach for trick-or-treating.

Halloween night, the Virginia State Police Sex Offender Investigative Unit will be working with the Virginia Department of Corrections Probation and Parole to check on supervised sex offenders.

If the convicted sex offender is on supervision — which means restrictions have been placed on them as they relate to probation/parole and not state law — then they may not be permitted to participate in trick-or-treat activities (i.e. porch lights must be turned off; not permitted to open the door to trick-or-treaters, etc.). This restriction only applies if that offender’s conditions of probation/parole prohibit contact with children.

If the convicted sex offender is not on supervision, then they are entitled to participate in trick-or-treat and other Halloween activities. This applies to convicted sex offenders featured on the Virginia Sex Offender Registry. The only exceptions relate to Code of Virginia 18.2-370.5, which restricts an offender’s access to school property.

Trick-or-Treat Pedestrian/Driver Safety
Drivers need to slow down and remain alert in residential areas and parking lots for children.

• Use flashlights and glowsticks to remain visible
• Stay on sidewalks, and avoid crossing yards.
• Cross streets at the corner, use crosswalks (where they exist), and do not cross between parked cars.
• Remind children to look left, right, and left again before crossing the street and walking among vehicles in a parking lot.
• Stop at all corners and stay together in a group before crossing.
• Wear clothing that is bright and flame retardant.
• Fasten reflective tape to costumes and trick-or-treat bags for greater visibility
• Consider using non-toxic face paint instead of masks. (Masks can obstruct a child's vision.)
• Avoid wearing hats that will slide over their eyes.
• Avoid wearing long, baggy, or loose costumes or oversized shoes (to prevent tripping).
• Have children get in and out of vehicles on the curb side, not on the traffic side.
• Law enforcement authorities should be notified immediately of any suspicious activity.

Halloween Dangers – Child Pedestrian Safety and Drunk Driving
A scare in good fun is expected on Halloween, but AAA warns, not when it comes to child pedestrian safety.

• According to Safe Kids Worldwide, children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than any other day of the year.
• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that Halloween is consistently one of the top three days of the year for pedestrian injuries and fatalities.

Heading into Halloween, pedestrian deaths in Virginia are up dramatically this year compared to 2021.

In Virginia, according to preliminary data from DMV:

• So far in 2022, 129 pedestrians have died in crashes.
• That’s an increase of 32 percent from this time last year and nearly equal to the total number of pedestrian deaths recorded in Virginia during all of 2021. (130)
• Nearly 55 percent of the pedestrian fatalities in Virginia this year have happened in the evenings between 6 p.m. and midnight.

Excited trick-or-treaters can forget about safety, so drivers, party-goers and parents must be even more alert, as the risk of kids being injured by moving vehicles increases.

“With an increased risk of pedestrian crashes on Halloween night, AAA Mid-Atlantic urges parents to take the time to make trick-or-treaters and their costumes safer and more visible to drivers,” said Morgan Dean, manager of public and government affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic. “In addition, drivers must eliminate distractions, slow down and watch for children, as well as have a completely sober designated driver if drinking is part of a Halloween celebration.”

Halloween is also a statistically dangerous night for drunk driving. Because of the parties, trick-or-treating, and other festivities, Halloween night can be especially dangerous on our nation’s roads.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

• Between 2016 and 2020, there were 129 drunk-driving fatalities on Halloween night (6 p.m. Oct. 31 and 5:59 a.m. Nov. 1).
• Adults between the ages of 21 and 34 had the highest percentage (68 percent) of fatalities in drunk-driving crashes on Halloween night in 2020. During that same night, 11 pedestrians were killed in drunk-driving crashes.

AAA Halloween Safety Tips
Drivers

• Eliminate distractions while driving, focus on the road and trick-or-treaters.
• Slow down in residential neighborhoods and obey all traffic signs and signals, give yourself extra time to react to children who may dart into the street.
• Look for children crossing the street. They may not be paying attention to traffic and may cross the street mid-block or between parked cars.
• Carefully enter and exit driveways and alleys, taking extra care if you are backing up or turning.
• Turn your headlights on to make yourself more visible – even in the daylight.

Parents

• Make sure Halloween costumes are flame-retardant and light in color to improve visibility.
• Be bright at night – have trick-or-treaters use glow sticks or wear retro-reflective tape on costumes and on treat buckets.
• Ensure disguises don’t obstruct vision and avoid full facemasks.
• Ask an adult or older child to supervise children under age 12.
• Instruct children to travel only in familiar areas and along established routes.
• Teach children to stop only at well-lit houses and to never to enter a stranger’s home or garage.
• Review trick-or-treating safety precautions, including pedestrian and traffic safety rules.

Trick-or-Treaters

• Stay on sidewalks and avoid walking in streets if possible.
• If there are no sidewalks, walk on the left side of the road, facing traffic.
• Look both ways and listen for traffic before crossing the street.
• Watch for cars turning or backing up.
• Cross streets only at the corner, using traffic signals and crosswalks, and never cross between parked vehicles or mid-block.
• Trick-or-treat in a group if someone older cannot go with you.
• Tell your parents where you are going.
• Carry a flashlight containing fresh batteries. Never shine flashlights into the eyes of oncoming drivers.

Party-Goers

• Arrange a safe ride home and/or designate a driver before partaking in any festivities.
• Always designate a sober driver.
• If you are drunk, take a taxi or ride share service, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation.
• Before leaving for a party, load ride share apps or put numbers of local cab companies or your designated driver(s) into your phone.
• Walking impaired can be as dangerous as drunk driving. Designate a sober friend to walk you home.
• If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact local law enforcement.
• If you know someone who is about to drive or ride impaired, take their keys and help them make safe travel arrangements to where they are going.