Halloween Safety Tips You Should Know Before You Head Out

Halloween fills neighborhoods with kids in costumes and keeps parties going late, which puts more people on foot after dark. According to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety, October brought more pedestrian crashes than any other month in 2024. This year, Halloween falls on a Saturday. In Upstate South Carolina, the sun sets at about 6:30 p.m. and it’s fully dark by about 7:00 p.m. Armada Law Injury Attorneys is here to help you keep yourself and your loved ones safe this spooky season.

Kids Under 12 Should Trick-or-Treat with an Adult

A study published in JAMA Pediatrics looked at 42 years of federal crash data and found that the risk of a pedestrian being killed was 43 percent higher on Halloween evening than on ordinary evenings a week before or after. This risk peaked around 6 p.m.

The study also found that kids ages four to eight faced about 10 times the usual risk of being killed as pedestrians on Halloween evening. In 2024 alone, 172 children ages 14 and younger were killed while walking in the U.S. Safe Kids Worldwide recommends that an adult go along with any child under 12. If your older kids are ready to go without you, have them stick to familiar neighborhoods that are well lit and trick-or-treat in a group. Before they leave, agree on a route and time to check in.

Pick a Costume Your Child Can See Out Of

A mask that slips or narrows your child’s view can keep them from spotting a car pulling out of a driveway. Non-toxic face paint or makeup is a safer choice. If the costume includes a hat, make sure it never slides down over their eyes. Check that the costume and shoes fit well and keep the costume short enough so that it won’t trip them.

The right costume protects your child by allowing drivers to see them. In 2024, 76 percent of pedestrians killed nationwide were hit in the dark, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). A few simple choices make kids easier to spot:

• Choose light colors when you can.
• Add reflective tape or stickers to the costume and treat bag.
• Carry a glow stick or flashlight.

Cross the Street the Safe Way

Cross at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks. Look left, right, and left again, and keep looking as you cross. Make eye contact with drivers so you know they see you. Put phones down, keep heads up, and walk instead of running. Remind kids never to cross between parked cars or step out from a driveway or alley.

Where there’s a sidewalk you can use, South Carolina law says to walk on it instead of the road. If there is no sidewalk, you should stay on the shoulder, as far from traffic as you can. On a two-way road with no sidewalk or shoulder, walk along the left edge, facing traffic.

If you’re on a crosswalk with no working traffic signal, drivers have to yield to you. Even there, you can’t step suddenly into the path of a car that’s too close to stop. Anywhere outside a crosswalk, you must yield to cars.

Plan Your Ride Before You Head Out

With Halloween falling on a Saturday, plenty of parties will run late. The clocks turn back at 2 a.m. on Sunday, November 1. At 2 a.m., it becomes 1 a.m. again, so the night (and bars) gets an extra hour.

NHTSA reports that from 2019 to 2024, 176 people were killed on Halloween night, from 6 p.m. on October 31 to 5:59 a.m. on November 1, in crashes involving a drunk driver. Across all of 2024, 11,904 people died in drunk-driving crashes nationwide, about one every 44 minutes.

Settle on your ride before the first drink: pick a sober driver, schedule a rideshare, or plan to stay where you are. If you’re hosting, offer non-alcoholic drinks and be ready to call a ride or offer a place to sleep for any guest who shouldn’t drive. If you spot a driver who seems impaired, pull over somewhere safe and call the South Carolina Highway Patrol by dialing *HP (*47) from your cell phone.

Stay Alert on Foot If You’ve Been Drinking

NHTSA estimates that in 2024, 27 percent of pedestrians killed (ages 15 and older) had a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher, a level at which it’s against South Carolina law to drive. Alcohol use by the driver, the pedestrian, or both was reported in 43 percent of fatal pedestrian crashes that year. South Carolina law also says that someone impaired by alcohol or drugs to the point of being a hazard can’t walk on the road itself, only on a sidewalk.

If you’re walking after a night out:

• Walk with a friend.
• Cross only at crosswalks or intersections and look both ways every time.
• Use your phone’s flashlight so drivers can see you.
• If the walk is long or has no sidewalk, get a ride instead.

If You or Your Child Is Injured

If you or your child is injured because of someone else’s decision, this Halloween or any time of year, we’re here to help you understand your options. Our team at Armada Law Injury Attorneys can talk through what happened and what comes next, at your pace. Call us at 833-332-3128. We’re here when you’re ready.