Keep Pedestrians Safe this Halloween

With Halloween activities happening across South Carolina this weekend and into next week, it’s a good time to revisit safety tips for motorists and trick-or-treaters. While many adults worry about unsafe candies, too often the danger posed by motor vehicles is overlooked. Twice as many child pedestrians are killed on Halloween than other days of the year. With caution and preparation, we can all do our part to prevent these tragedies.

How to Keep Kids Safe While Trick-or-Treating

Sometimes a good offense is the best defense, and you can help your kids stay safe with these tips:

• Children should be accompanied by an adult when they go trick-or-treating
• Children should carry glow sticks and/or flashlights
• Choose reflective or brightly colored costumes
• Teach children to cross at crosswalks and street corners

Of course we all know children are excited and distracted when they go trick-or-treating. They aren’t necessarily going to be conscious of the safe-walking rules you taught them. By accompanying your trick-or-treaters, you can be their eyes and ears.

Be a Safe Driver this Halloween

As adults, we need to take responsibility for our driving behavior on Halloween so that we can prevent pedestrian crashes:

• Obey traffic signals
• Obey posted speed limits
• Don’t drive while intoxicated
• Reduce your speed in residential areas and anywhere else that is likely to have increased foot traffic on Halloween
• Use extreme caution when backing up
• Use extreme caution when turning from an alley or driveway
• Don’t pass a stopped vehicle, which may be dropping off children

In neighborhoods and on busy streets, expect the unexpected. Children may suddenly dart into traffic or may cross where you don’t expect them. Distracted driving and drunk driving are two fully preventable behaviors that contribute to pedestrian accidents. Drunk driving rates increase on Halloween. Remember to take public transportation, a ride-share or a cab if you plan to drink, and put away your phone when you are the driver. Doing so can save a life and prevent injuries.

Dram Shop Liability Claims

When a drunk driver hits and injures a pedestrian, dram shop liability may be a factor. It refers to the liability of liquor store owners, bartenders and other people who may have provided alcohol to a person who was clearly intoxicated, or whom they should have known was intoxicated. If a liable party over-serves an intoxicated person and then that person goes and causes a crash that injures someone, that liable party should be held responsible.

The experienced attorneys at Whetstone Perkins & Fulda have handled many of these claims and we know what to look for. We know how the relevant state laws influence dram shop liability, and how they are applied in these cases. Rely on us for clear answers.

Rely on our Accident Attorneys for Guidance

If you have any questions about pedestrian accidents or any other incident involving severe injury, please call Whetstone Perkins & Fulda for a free claim evaluation. We proudly serve people from across the state, including the areas of Columbia, Myrtle Beach and Kingstree. Our attorneys are personally committed to obtaining the best possible results for our clients.