Warning as roads risk to children rises on Halloween

FORGET ghosts and ghouls, the roads pose the greatest danger to children on Halloween.

Accidents rise by more than a third between 5pm and 6pm on October 31, fuelled by youngsters trick or treating.

Children are particularly vulnerable because they have not yet developed the cognitive skills needed to assess threats from traffic, according to accident researchers.

‘Parents often misestimate their child’s ability to judge pedestrian danger, which makes this phenomenon even more concerning,’ they added. ‘Children are impulsive and have not yet developed the skills to judge how far away a car is and how quickly it is approaching.’

The study, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public

‘Children can’t judge how far away a car is’

Health, used data from 73,587 accidents in the UK between 1990 and 2017.

Those seriously hurt or killed were aged between four and 17.

The researchers, from Taipei Medical University, National Taiwan University Hospital and Edinburgh Napier University, then analysed the incidents according to time and date.

Some 91 per cent of accidents took place on urban roads, in a 30mph or lower speed limit.

In total, 71.16 per cent of the accidents studied occurred on weekdays, when many would be travelling to or from school.

Public holidays saw 20.8 per cent of the casualties. Halloween accounted for 1.9 per cent and weekends 1.13 per cent.

When they examined October 31 more closely, the experts found that most accidents occurred between 5pm and 6pm and injuries were more severe.

Last night the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said: ‘On Halloween, motorists should use caution when driving through residential areas by looking out for trick-or-treaters and take extra care when entering and exiting driveways.’