The Buzz | Halloween can be deadly for pedestrians, traffic study says

Trick-or-treaters beware: Halloween can be deadly for pedestrians and children face the greatest danger.

Research published yesterday found a 43 percent higher risk of pedestrian deaths on Halloween night than on other nights near that date.

The study was based on four decades of U.S. traffic data, including 608 pedestrian deaths on 42 Halloweens.

Canadian traffic researchers launched the study after noticing advertisements for Halloween parties posted to lampposts in their country. That got them thinking about a dangerous witches’ brew: holiday revelers driving away from bars mixed with “legions of kids roaming the streets” in costume, said lead author Dr. John Staples of the University of British Columbia.

Canada celebrates Halloween, too, but U.S. traffic data is remarkably complete, so Staples and colleagues focused their analysis south of their border. The study appears in JAMA Pediatrics.

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