This study examines 42 years of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data to establish whether Halloween is associated with an increased rate of pedestrian fatalities.
Source: Pedestrian Fatalities Associated With Halloween in the United States
fta:
The entire study interval included 1 580 608 fatal traffic crashes involving 2 333 302 drivers and 268 468 pedestrians. A total of 608 pedestrian fatalities occurred on the 42 Halloween evenings, whereas 851 pedestrian fatalities occurred on the 84 control evenings. Absolute mortality rates averaged 2.07 and 1.45 pedestrian fatalities per hour, respectively. The relative risk of a pedestrian fatality was 43% higher on Halloween compared with control evenings (odds ratio, 1.43 [95% CI, 1.29-1.59]; P < .001). The average Halloween resulted in 4 additional pedestrian deaths.
