Bay Area Trick-or-Treaters at High Risk for Injuries Due to Drunk Drivers and Other Dangers

Nighttime is an especially dangerous time to be on the road, but Halloween night is often one of the deadliest nights of the year because of impaired drivers. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2008, 58 percent of all highway fatalities nationwide on Halloween night involved a motorist or motorcyclist with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 or higher, which is illegal in every state. In fact, a person doesn’t have to feel drunk to be too impaired to drive. According to the NHTSA, buzzed driving is also drunk driving.

Sadly, no matter what precautions parents take—ensuring that children wear bright and visible costumes, equipping their children with flashlights or glow sticks, and accompanying young children while trick-or-treating—it may not be enough to protect children from drunk drivers. But other dangers potentially lurk around every corner too, including jack-o-lanterns with open flames, tripping hazards left on sidewalks, and candy that has been tampered with.

For more information on keeping your trick-or-treaters safe this Halloween, visit the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) web site or the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) web site. But if you or your trick-or-treaters are injured this Halloween due to someone else’s negligence or misconduct, please contact us at (408) 687-9155 for a free consultation. Personal injury cases are handled on a contingency fee basis, meaning our office is paid only at the end of the case if we recover money for our clients.