{"id":64302,"date":"2015-10-27T11:00:57","date_gmt":"2015-10-27T15:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/?p=64302"},"modified":"2015-10-26T17:16:16","modified_gmt":"2015-10-26T21:16:16","slug":"aaa-offers-tips-for-a-safe-halloween","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/?p=64302","title":{"rendered":"AAA Offers Tips for a Safe Halloween"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AAA<\/a>(Utica, NY \u2013 Oct. 2015) \u00a0With nearly one in three adults planning to attend or host a Halloween party this year, AAA urges partygoers to plan in advance by designating a sober driver before enjoying the festivities.<\/p>\n

\u201cHalloween has become an increasingly popular occasion for adults to host and attend parties where alcohol is frequently served. By designating a sober driver, or by choosing not to drink alcoholic beverages if driving solo, this popular holiday can be less frightening for everyone,\u201d said\u00a0Ed Welsh, Regional General Manager, AAA Northeast.<\/p>\n

According to the National Retail Federation, Halloween parties for adults have grown in popularity over the past decade. This year about 30 percent of all adults will be celebrating with others, and an estimated sixty-two percent of those ages 18-24 will attend or host a party.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith legions of child pedestrians and their adult escorts in neighborhoods for trick-or-treating this weekend, and many costume-clad adults taking to the roads to attend holiday parties, it is imperative that everyone involved in the celebration think about the importance of traffic safety,\u201d Welsh said. \u201cThe combination of drinking and increased pedestrian traffic on Halloween night has been a deadly combination in past years. Nearly 40 percent of fatal crashes on Halloween night involve a drunk driver; and one-third of Halloween crash fatalities involve a pedestrian. \u201cFatal injuries from motor vehicle crashes rise nearly 50 percent when Halloween falls on a\u00a0Thursday,\u00a0Friday\u00a0or\u00a0Saturday. Additionally, Fifty-eight percent of all traffic fatalities in the U.S. on Halloween night last year involved a driver or motorcycle rider with a blood-alcohol content (BAC) of 0.08 or higher, which is illegal in New York State.\u201d<\/p>\n

To help keep the roadways safe this Halloween weekend, AAA offers partygoers a few easy tips:<\/p>\n

*Designate a sober driver in advance.\u00a0If intending to drink alcohol, plan ahead to get home safely by selecting a designated driver or ensuring cab service is available from the party location. Never ride with a driver who has been drinking.<\/p>\n

*Consider an overnight stay.\u00a0If attending a party at a friend\u2019s home, consider asking to stay overnight. If participating in festivities in a downtown or commercial area, look into hotel accommodations within walking distance. Many hotels offer special Halloween weekend rates and promotions.<\/p>\n

*Do not let impaired guests drive.\u00a0If hosting a Halloween party, remind guests to plan ahead and designate their sober driver, offer alcohol-free beverages and do not allow impaired guests to drive. Prepare a list of local taxi companies in advance to have ready should guests need to call one.<\/p>\n

*Avoid traveling through residential areas.\u00a0If possible, try to avoid cutting through residential areas where trick-or-treaters are likely to be present. If providing directions to a party, try not to route guests through residential areas unnecessarily.<\/p>\n

Watch for children in the street.\u00a0While trick-or-treating, children may not pay attention to traffic and might cross mid-block or between parked cars. Motorists should scan far ahead when driving in residential areas, watch for children and cautiously monitor their actions.<\/p>\n

*Obey the speed limit.\u00a0Motorists should obey the posted speed limit. When driving through residential areas were trick-or-treaters are likely out, consider driving five miles per hour less than the posted speed limit.<\/p>\n

To help keep Trick-or-Treaters safe this Halloween weekend, AAA advises Parents to:<\/p>\n

*Select highly visible costumes.\u00a0Look for light, bright and reflective costumes that make trick-or-treaters easy to see. Add reflective tape to costumes and treat buckets and bags to increase visibility.<\/p>\n

*Ensure costumes fit well.\u00a0Have trick-or-treaters try on, walk and play in costumes and shoes in advance to check fit. Make sure nothing comes loose or might cause the child to trip. Check that wigs or other accessories do not obstruct the child\u2019s view.<\/p>\n

*Review safety precautions with children.\u00a0Include traffic safety rules in the review such as stay on the sidewalk, cross the street at crosswalks, avoid walking in front of, behind or between parked cars and stop at driveways to make sure no vehicles are coming in and out.<\/p>\n

*Plan trick-or-treating route and supervision in advance.\u00a0Avoid areas with heavy vehicle traffic and look for well-lit streets with sidewalks. Make arrangements for an adult or a responsible teen to accompany younger trick-or-treaters.<\/p>\n

*Get a flashlight with fresh batteries.\u00a0A flashlight can help trick-or-treaters see and be seen, but it should never be directed at someone\u2019s eyes including those of passing motorists.<\/p>\n

AAA offers an in-depth list of Halloween safety tips for motorists, parents and kids online at\u00a0AAA.com\/PublicAffairs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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(Utica, NY \u2013 Oct. 2015) \u00a0With nearly one in three adults planning to attend or host a Halloween party this year, AAA urges partygoers to plan in advance by designating a sober driver before enjoying the festivities. \u201cHalloween has become an increasingly popular occasion for adults to host and attend parties where alcohol is frequently […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":52174,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22341],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-64302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-regional"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64302","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=64302"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64302\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/52174"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=64302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=64302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=64302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}