Halloween is coming up - will your vehicle be ready?

Halloween is fast approaching, which means lots of youngsters in the streets paying attention to their bags of candy and not to you driving. Some costumes will also obscure their vision! All of this adds up to you needing to be extra careful if you're driving on Halloween night.


At a glance: Help protect trick-or-treaters by following these driving safety tips on Halloween, or on the night your community hosts Halloween activities. Be especially careful between 4 and 8 p.m., when most severe vehicle/young pedestrian collisions happen.

Drive slowly, and don't pass stopped vehicles. The driver might be dropping off children.

Park your mobile phone. Avoid distractions by waiting until you've stopped to call, text, or surf.

Watch for children darting into the street. Kids can cross the street anywhere, and most young pedestrian deaths happen at spots other than intersections.

Yield to young pedestrians. Children might not stop, either because they don't see your vehicle approaching or don't know how to safely cross the street.

Communicate with other drivers. Always use your turn signals. And if you have to pull over to drop off or pick up your kids, turn on your hazard lights.

And, to keep your own trick-or-treaters safe:

Teach them how to safely cross streets. They should look both ways and cross only at corners and crosswalks.

Consider indoor community Halloween programs for younger kids. Some communities also offer to help you inspect your kids' treats to make sure they're safe to eat.

Brighten them up. Give them flashlights and glow sticks, and/or use reflective tape on their costumes, so drivers can see them.

See and be seen is your responsibility, too. Make sure your windows are clean and easy to see through, that all your lights are in good order, and that your windshield wipers are fresh and clean as well. Stop in to Courtesy Buick GMC in Birmingham if you need help with any of these things!