The Scariest Part of Halloween – Cars!
Contrary to popular belief, it’s not the monsters, vampires and witches that trick-or-treaters need to watch for. The most dangerous thing for children on Halloween are cars. U.S. Department of Transportation statistics from 2006 to 2010 show that more pedestrians under the age of 21 were killed by cars on Oct. 31 than on Oct. 30 or Nov. 1. Thankfully the total number of children who were killed during that time frame was 16. Most cases involve children being struck by a vehicle while crossing a street or walking along the road. Many parents are even more worried and more vigilant about their children being abducted on Halloween. And although as parents we can never be too careful, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children reports that there are no increases in child abduction or missing children cases at Halloween according to an article released by the AP. Another false belief is that there is an increase in fire injuries at Halloween. But the National Fire Protection Association says that that isn’t the case. In years past, there was an increase in suspected arson cases. The AP quotes the U.S. Fire Administration, in a report from 2005, that “on Halloween, and the night before, incendiary and suspicious structure fires are about 60 percent more frequent than on an average day.” The spike in those fires was due to an event called ‘Devil’s Night’. Devil’s Night takes place the night before Halloween. It used to be known as a night of mischief. But over the past few years, most notably in large urban cities such as Detroit, mischief escalated into more criminal behavior, such as arson. But community and police efforts have seen a huge decrease in this type of activity. If you or someone in your family is injured by someone else’s carelessness on Halloween, or any day, you need to consult with an experienced personal injury attorney to find out what your legal options may be for any pain and suffering you have had to endure.
