Road Angel is calling for all road users to be aware of the greater risks and exercise caution to ensure children stay safe during trick-or-treating.
The organisation points to data which it says shows children are four times more likely to be involved in fatal road collisions on Halloween night.
Road Angel says this is because kids are outdoors in the dark, walking along pavements and crossing streets, often unaccompanied by their parents.
Despite this, a survey suggests less than a third of parents educate their kids about safety rules before they go trick-or-treating.
Road Angel says parents should make sure their children are wearing reflective clothing or have reflective tape on their costumes.
According to the survey, just 18% of parents utilise reflective tape on their children’s costumes, ‘leaving kids susceptible to not being seen by other road users on dimly lit roads’.
Gary Digva, founder of Road Angel, said: “Despite Halloween being a fun time for kids going trick-or-treating, the dark night increases the risk for children on the roads.
“The combination of decreased visibility due to darker evenings and nighttime festivities, the excitement of trick-or-treating, and increased pedestrian activity can heighten car accident risks.
“With kids being four times more vulnerable to being involved in a road accident on Halloween night, we’re urging parents and drivers to do what they can to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone.
“Children should be accompanied by an adult when trick-or-treating, as navigating the streets at night can pose significant risks.
“Before allowing older children to go trick-or-treating on their own, parents should consider if their kids are sufficiently educated about road safety rules.
“Reinforce the ‘look both ways before crossing’ rule and teach them to use designated crosswalks.
“It’s also important to consider costumes with reflective elements or add reflective tape to enhance visibility, especially as evenings grow darker following the end-of-October clock change.”
Also, if it was decreed (made law even) that drivers must assume ultimate responsibility for NOT hitting slower moving, vulnerable road users i.e. pedestrians – regardless of conditions – I’m sure it would focus their minds a bit more. Pedestrians are not difficult to spot and nor is it difficult for drivers to use the brake pedal. You wonder why it happens at all.
Hugh Jones, Cheshire
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How about asking drivers to slow down and look out for more children on the street than usual and being aware of the danger they pose?
Shelders, London
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If only these so-called “accidents” were avoidable by the victims wearing hi-viz. Let’s hypothesise that vulnerable road users all complied 100% with the advice. What would be the impact on road casualties? I’d guess at “none”, although it might also be “very little”. If, as an alternative, those driving vehicles simply complied with the Highway Code and drove at a speed in towns which enable vulnerable road users to be safe, we’d see a massive reduction in all road casualties
Adrian Berendt, TUNBRIDGE WELLS
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