WILKES-BARRE — Halloween has never really been a big deal to me, except for when I was in the fourth grade.
That’s when I had the best-ever Halloween costume — I was the Headless Horseman — a fictional character from the 1820 short story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by American author Washington Irving.
I have to admit, when I put the costume on, I looked in the mirror and I scared myself.
That’s why I decided not to jump in the Way Back Machine and go back to the day when I wore the costume to school.
But other than that scary costume and the joy and fear it brought, Halloween was usually not a day I looked forward to. My other costumes through the years are not memorable — I really can’t recall any of them.
But the Headless Horseman? Ahhh, that one remains fresh in my memory bank.
And as Halloween 2022 approaches, AAA is raising awareness for dangerous traffic safety concerns — increased pedestrian activity and drunk driving — both of which converge this weekend as Halloween activities ahead of the holiday itself on Monday, Oct. 31.
A scare in good fun is expected on Halloween, but AAA warns, not when it comes to child pedestrian safety.
Wait — what?
• According to Safe Kids Worldwide, children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than any other day of the year.
• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that Halloween is consistently one of the top three days of the year for pedestrian injuries and fatalities.
AAA says creative costumes, trick-or-treating and bags full of goodies become top Halloween priorities, but safety often becomes an afterthought.
Excited trick-or-treaters can forget about safety, so drivers, party-goers and parents must be even more alert, as the risk of kids being injured by moving vehicles increases.
“With an increased risk of pedestrian crashes on Halloween night, AAA Mid-Atlantic urges parents to take the time to make trick-or-treaters and their costumes safer and more visible to motorists,” said Jana L. Tidwell, manager of Public and Government Affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic. “In addition, 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.”
Stop right there. I decided to hop into the Way Back Machine and return to that Headless Horseman costumed Halloween to see for certain exactly what it was like.
Kids in costumes were everywhere — walking the side streets and Main Street, knocking on doors and entering bars and all were treated kindly. Kids were making a haul and it was safe.
Main Street in Plymouth was awesome — the storefront windows were painted in Halloween scenes and there was even a Halloween Parade down Main Street. By the looks of it, everyone was having fun and there was no fear of being struck by a vehicle.
In 2022, I guess times have changed.
AAA says Halloween is also a statistically dangerous night for drunk driving. Because of the parties, trick-or-treating, and other festivities, Halloween night can be especially dangerous on our nation’s roads.
According to NHTSA:
• Between 2016 and 2020, there were 129 drunk-driving fatalities on Halloween night (6 p.m. Oct. 31 – 5:59 a.m. Nov. 1).
• Adults between the ages of 21 and 34 had the highest percentage (68%) of fatalities in drunk-driving crashes on Halloween night in 2020. During that same night, 11 pedestrians were killed in drunk-driving crashes.
In Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) reports:
• In 2021, there were 3,098 pedestrian crashes, up from 2,743 2020.
• A distracted driver was a contributing factor in 12,741 crashes in 2021, up from 10,826 in 2020.
• A drunk driver was a contributing factor in 9,037 crashes in 2021, up from 7,468 in 2020.
AAA advises party-goers to arrange a safe ride home and/or designate a driver before partaking in any festivities. And always designate a sober driver.
This is important, but I’m not sure how to implement this one — if you are drunk, take a taxi or ride share service, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation.
And please, if you know someone who is about to drive or ride impaired, take their keys and help them make safe travel arrangements to where they are going.
Unlike the scary Headless Horseman, please use your head and be safe.