AAA: Safety needs to be priority for parents and motorists on Halloween

DAYTON — AAA is raising awareness for dangerous traffic safety concerns with Halloween approaching, a spokesperson said.

>>AAA: Automobile crashes leading cause of death among teens

“With an increased risk of pedestrian crashes on Halloween night, AAA urges parents to take the time to make trick-or-treaters and their costumes safer and more visible to motorists,” said Kara Hitchens, manager of Public and Government Affairs for AAA.

Children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than any other day of the year, according to Safe Kids Worldwide.

“Motorists 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,” Hitchens said in a news release.

Halloween is one of the top three days of the year for pedestrian injuries and fatalities, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports.

NHTSA says:

• Between 2016 and 2020, there were 129 drunk-driving fatalities on Halloween night
• Adults between the ages of 21 and 34 had the highest percentage of fatalities, 68%, in drunk-driving crashes on Halloween night in 2020.
• During that same night, 11 pedestrians were killed in drunk-driving crashes.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol reports:

• In 2021, there were 2,422 pedestrian crashes, up from 2,287 in 2020.
• A distracted driver was a contributing factor in 11,883 crashes in 2021, up from 10,983 in 2020.
• An impaired driver was a contributing factor in 13,725 crashes in 2021, up from 13,103 in 2020.

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