Last year, over half of all highway fatalities on Halloween night involved an impaired driver according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
As Halloween approaches, AAA - The Auto Club Group is reminding parents to be extra careful if their children will be trick-or-treating on neighborhood streets.
“Drivers should be especially careful when pulling in or out of driveways and realize that the normal residential speeds are way too fast when the night is full of excited children moving from house to house” said Amy Stracke, Executive Director, Auto Club Group Traffic Safety Foundation. “A safe Halloween means seeing and being seen.”
Stracke says to ensure a safer Halloween, motorists need to keep in mind some vital points:
- Reduce any distractions inside your car, such as talking on the phone or with other passengers, so you can concentrate on the road and your surroundings.
- Drive slower through neighborhoods. Driving five miles per hour slower than the posted speed limit will give you extra time to react to children who dart out in front of you.
- Watch for children walking on roadways, medians and curbs. In dark costumes, they will be harder to see at night.
- Turn on your headlights to make yourself more visible – even in the daylight
- Drive sober. In 2015, 52% of fatal crashes on Halloween night involved a drunk driver. Always designate a sober driver if you plan to drink any alcohol.
AAA and Budweiser are urging everyone to plan ahead if they are celebrating Halloween with alcohol by choosing a designated driver, staying where they are celebrating, or arranging for another form of safe transportation.
For those that don’t plan ahead, Tow to Go will be there to provide a safe way home. AAA members and non-members can call for a Tow to Go ride anytime Friday, October 28th through 6 a.m. on Tuesday, November 1st. AAA will then safely transport them and their vehicle home or somewhere safe within 10 miles.
“The Tow to Go program is an effective way to promote the use of Designated Drivers and help prevent impaired driving,” said Katja Zastrow, Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility for Anheuser-Busch. “We are proud to partner with AAA and their roadside assistance drivers to help keep our roads safe.”
Tow to Go Guidelines:
For those that don’t plan ahead, Tow to Go will be there to provide a safe way home. AAA members and non-members can call for a Tow to Go ride anytime Friday, October 28th through 6 a.m. on Tuesday, November 1st. AAA will then safely transport them and their vehicle home or somewhere safe within 10 miles.
“The Tow to Go program is an effective way to promote the use of Designated Drivers and help prevent impaired driving,” said Katja Zastrow, Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility for Anheuser-Busch. “We are proud to partner with AAA and their roadside assistance drivers to help keep our roads safe.”
Tow to Go Guidelines:
- Confidential local ride within a 10-mile radius to a safe location
- The AAA tow truck takes the vehicle and the driver home
- Free and available to both AAA members and non-members
- Tow to Go is provided in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Nebraska (Omaha and Lincoln only)
The phone number for Tow to Go is (855) 2-TOW-2-GO or (855) 286-9246
Additional information on Halloween driver and pedestrian safety can be found on AAA's website.
