Drunk Driving on Halloween
Did you know that the holiday weekend for Halloween often creates a perfect storm for accidents!? Children excited to collect as much candy as possible are carelessly running out in the streets where people are hosting parties with alcohol to guests with no designated drivers. Careless pedestrians and distracted drivers are just some of the reasons why Halloween is the 3rd most dangerous day on the road in America as below December 23 and January 1st being the other top two. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) studied Halloween weekends from 2009-2013 and concluded that 44% of traffic accident deaths involved drunk driving. Drivers with blood-alcohol content of 0.08 or higher were involved in 38% of car accident deaths on Halloween night alone.
This year Halloween falls on a Monday night, so most people will probably celebrate early during the weekend. In recent years San Antonio Police Department has been out patrolling looking for suspected drunk drivers in an attempt to keep motorists and pedestrians safe during the holiday weekend. In 2013, SAPD made 133 DWI arrests, according to an article in mySA. That accounts to many impaired motorist driving on the same night as children going out trick or treating.
Photo provided by NHTSA
Driving this Halloween Weekend
As a driver, one must always be aware of his/her surroundings when driving a vehicle. That means keeping your eyes on the road and your thumbs off the phone. During this Halloween weekend if you are driving at night through neighborhoods always anticipate that pedestrians are out walking the streets. Watch out for children who may be too excited to remember that they need to look both ways before crossing a street. Try to avoid driving during peak trick or treating hours which fall usually in the afternoon. Expect much pedestrian traffic during that time and practice defensive driving. Children are 2 times more likely to be hit by a car on Halloween than any other holiday so please use extra caution when driving through neighborhood streets.
Scared Safe
Halloween is supposed to be a night of celebration with some scares through in to make it fun. Don’t ruin the night by driving intoxicated or distracted. The negligence of others is no excuse to put you or your loved one’s safety at risk. That is why Davis Law Firm is here for you 24/7 for anyone who has been injured in an accident by drunk or distracted drivers. We are here for you because we fight for what you deserve. Free consultation with one of our legal representatives is just a phone call at (210) 444-4444, (956)444-4444 or (361)444-4444.