This Halloween, when the virtual ghosts and goblins come out — don’t greet the monster mash with an IRL crash. 

Different rules apply for Fright Night. There’s candy for dinner and sightings of bumblebees and (scary or not scary?) clown costumes on parade and coming to work in costume in the office (remote or in-person). And on Halloween, it’s trick-or-treaters that take control of the road. 

Everyone wants a fun, safe, spooktacular holiday. But according to the National Safety Council, Halloween is one of the deadliest days to be on the road — and kids in particular are two-four times more likely to be hit by a vehicle. There’s no trick or treat with that stat: it’s a sobering reminder that motorists need to take special precautions and be extra alert. 

Not only are trick-or-treaters manning the road, but there’s likely more cars on the road as well (and more drunk drivers as the night gets later). 

• Drive slowly around neighborhoods — whether they’re quiet residential streets or busy downtown areas — even if you don’t see trick-or-treaters around

• Remember, kids may dart out into the street or they may be wearing darker-colored clothing or be harder to see from your blind spots 

• Don’t keep your vision limited to the road — kids could come running out from porches, sidewalks and more  

• Make sure your costume isn’t so unwieldy that it hinders safety — if masks or funky shoes are an issue, put them on after you arrive 

Make Halloween a day to remember for the little ones for all the right reasons by keeping these safety tips in mind: 

• Always have at least one responsible adult walking with young kids

• Go early if possible. Not only are you more visible during daylight hours — but you get the best pick of the candy and other treats

• Talk to your kids and make sure they know the rules for crossing and walking along the road (talk to them about this before Halloween too)  

• Add reflective tape to childrens’ costumes and treat buckets to help visibility 

• Glow sticks that kids can carry along with them will also boost visibility 

• Try on costumes, shoes and even hats and wigs beforehand to make sure that everything fits — and won’t obstruct a kid’s view 

• Avoid any costumes that drag on the ground (i.e., too-long-for-them wizard capes) and could cause them to fall or otherwise constrict movement  

• Make sure any fun ‘costume shoes’ (i.e., extra big clown shoes or ) won’t cause a kiddo to trip 

• Consider opting for nontoxic Halloween makeup over big masks. Of course, test makeup first (if the makeup irritates their skin and they focus on rubbing it, they won’t be looking for traffic) 

• No child or adult should ever ride without a properly secured seatbelt. If your child’s costume is bulky, don’t buckle ‘around’ the costume, it’s not safe. You can always have them wear something simple for the ride and then get them into the bigger costume upon arrival 

Awesome! Cool Halloween parties are legendary, not to mention that dressing up is hella fun for those planning to rock it with an amaze couple's costume… or essential for your dating profile. So have a blast, just keep these in mind:  

• With more people out and about (and some roads blocked off), there may be less parking options (as well as more frustrated road warriors). Take a taxi or rideshare when possible  

• Don’t drink and drive — just like any night, make sure friends who drink have a designated driver 

• Don’t text and drive — don’t scroll your IG feed, post on TikTok, or send friends a DM either 

Stay safe on the roads all year long with more safety tips on our blog.