It’s that time of year again. Are you ready for Halloween? The roads become the stomping grounds for people dressed up in scary, funny, and sexy costumes. Houses are decorated with flashing lights, spooky sounds, and creepy decorations. It's also the only time of year you can go door to door asking strangers for candy.
Whether or not you plan to dress up or go trick-or-treating, you should keep these tips in mind for a safe and fun drive during Halloween.
10 The Stakes Are High
For a child, Halloween is a spectacular time of the year. You get to stay up late, dress up in your favorite costume, watch scary movies, and eat candy.
For drivers, the roads are dark, leaves and debris are whirling, and out of nowhere, there are little people running around. Can you blame them? Free candy is an exciting thing. No matter how well they're taught, there's a high probability you'll come across a kid darting across the streets. Proceed with extra caution just in case.
9 Eat, Drink, And Be Scary
Although adults are discouraged from going door to door to trick-or-treat, it's not an excuse to get carried away on other things. Don’t drive under any influence; alcohol, substances, or medication. The majority of people killed in motor vehicle crashes on Halloween are due to drunken driving. If you see a friend or even a stranger try to get behind the wheel while impaired, be the hero and call them a taxi or Uber. It’s a matter of life and death.
8 Don't Be A Dummy
See a crazy costume you want to take a photo of? For goodness sake, it's dangerous and illegal to photograph while driving. The same as you should never text or talk and drive in lieu of a huge ticket. Pullover and safely come to a stop to take any photos. If there's no place to park, consider that you'll likely stumble upon that costume in photos online and move on. It’s never worth an accident. Just like the tree falling in the woods, just because you didn't get a photo, doesn't mean it didn't happen!
7 Trick-Or-Treat
If you’re taking your kids out to trick-or-treat, be sure to pick a spot to stop your car along the roadside where you can clearly see in front and behind you. It’s important to have a lot of visibility so you can exit as easily as you entered. If it’s busy, be sure to leave plenty of space for others and use your hazard lights to alert other drivers.
Remember to go over Halloween safety rules with your family the night before, so it's fresh in their minds. To be safe, young trick-or-treaters should know to wait until you give the okay to open the door and proceed out of the car on the curbside only.
6 Creep It Real
Slow down! It’s a lot easier to be on watch when you’re going below the speed limit. Keep in mind that a car going 40 mph on dry roads with goods brakes will skip approximately 120 feet before stopping. If the roads are slippery or visibility is poor this stopping distance doubles.
If at all possible, avoid driving around peak trick-or-treat times. If you need to drive, reduce your speed significantly, and keep your eyes peeled. To be safe, treat every area you drive like a school zone on Halloween.
5 Frog Parking Only, Others Will Be Toad
Be careful around other parked and stopped cars. In the future, I’m sure someone will invent a technology that will stop the car from openings while another is passing. Until then, it’s up to us to look out, especially around Halloween when children are excited and more likely to open the door and jump out the car door as soon as it stops.
Keep in mind that not everyone is as focused as you are. People in other cars may be distracted by their kids in the car and what’s going on around them. Try to keep extra space and take extreme caution going around a stopped car just in case.
4 Don't Back That Thing Up
Avoid driveways and backing up entirely during Halloween. With all the hustle and bustle going on, it's impossible to see everything and the last thing you ever want to do is back over someone accidentally.
Keep in mind that many people will be wearing dark costumes, which are hard to see in a back-up camera. It’s a dangerous combination mixed with the mayhem of people rushing across driveways and roads. By avoiding backing up, it's one less thing to worry about.
3 Endless Frogger
Typically crosswalks are a safe place to cross the road for pedestrians. All too often people feel safe to cross the road without looking, thinking that every car will automatically give them the way. It's a dangerous assumption, especially at night and when wearing dark costumes. During Halloween at night, be extra cautious around crosswalks. A shadowy ghoul or Batman could pop out with little to no warning from the darkness. Better yet, consider the entire road a crosswalk.
2 No Masks
Don’t wear a mask while driving, ever. Although it's funny for other drivers, it's not funny that your vision is impaired around one of the busiest pedestrian times of year. The same goes for a Halloween costume that restricts your ability to move and turn the steering wheel. It’s not worth the risk! You can do other things to be festive while driving, including decorating your car. There are plenty of cool Halloween car costumes.
1 You Auto Have A Safe Halloween
You'd be wrong to assume that criminals don't come out during Halloween. With all the hustle and bustle going on, they can keep watch and creep into unsuspecting cars with all the distractions going on. As soon as you exit your car, lock it. Another good practice that you should be doing all year round is making sure there's nothing worth stealing in plain view. The only thing scarier than Halloween is getting broken into and your purse or wallet going missing.