One common cause of Halloween pedestrian accidents is an increase in alcohol use before driving on Halloween night. According to Mix, 44 percent of the deadly accidents on Halloween involve a driver who has a BAC above the limit, and 23 percent of pedestrian deaths on Halloween occur in accidents with a driver who is intoxicated.
Just last year, Oregon Live reported on one such DUI accident which led to a tragic fatality. The incident occurred in North Portland. A driver who had consumed approximately three to four beers at a party got into a fight with his girlfriend and left the celebration. He saw a pedestrian who was halfway across the road as he was driving on North Lombard Street, and he tried to swerve to the right to avoid hitting the pedestrian but was not able to do so.
He ended up striking the pedestrian, who slammed into the vehicle by the driver’s side window. The driver tried to help the pedestrian, who had been spending time with friends and celebrating his 27th birthday which fell on Halloween. The pedestrian decided to leave and walk to the store but was struck by the car when he was on his way. Unfortunately, the driver could not help the pedestrian, and the pedestrian died of his injuries. Friends did not discover what happened until the next day, as they thought he had simply run into other people on his way to the store and not returned.
Approximately two hours after the collision, the driver’s blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) was measured at .03, so police believe it was likely over the limit at the time of the incident. The driver also submitted an affidavit in which he rated himself a four on a scale of one to 10 when asked how comfortable he felt driving. Police believe he was going around 40 to 50 miles an hour on the road when he hit the pedestrian.
Accidents like this one are far too common when people go to Halloween parties and then leave those parties too intoxicated to drive home safely. Drunken drivers, however, aren’t the only reason for elevated accident risks on Halloween. There are also more accidents simply because there are more cars on the road and more pedestrians out. Particularly after dark, there are many more children outside walking around then usual. If drivers aren’t prepared to watch for these kids, serious and sometimes fatal pedestrian accidents are the likely outcome.
