Halloween Safety Tips for Kansas City Families and Drivers

Halloween is one of the biggest nights of the year in Kansas City: kids pack the sidewalks in Brookside, Waldo, Prairie Village, and the Northland; trunk-or-treats fill church and school parking lots; and adults head to costume parties across the metro area.

It can also be one of the most dangerous nights of the year to be on foot. More children are walking after dark than on any other night, often in dark costumes, while drivers face distractions, early darkness, and more impaired drivers on the road.

This year, Halloween falls on a Saturday, which means more parties and more late-night traffic. At Foster Wallace Personal Injury Lawyers, we want every family to enjoy the night and get safely home. Here’s what parents, trick-or-treaters, and drivers should know.

Why Halloween Can Be So Dangerous for Pedestrians

The numbers are sobering. From 2020 to 2024, 176 people were killed in drunk-driving crashes on Halloween night, including 31 pedestrians, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

Several risks pile up at once:

More kids on the street after dark. Trick-or-treating peaks around dusk, when visibility is poor and drivers are heading home or out for the night.
Excited kids may act unpredictably. Children dart between parked cars, cross mid-block, and run across yards to reach the next house.
Costumes and decorations may limit sight and visibility. Masks block a child’s view of traffic, and dark costumes make kids hard for drivers to see. Decorations may block the view of pedestrians or drivers.
Drivers are distracted or impaired. Phones and party plans pull attention off the road, and alcohol slows reaction time.

Halloween Safety Tips for Trick-or-Treaters and Families

A few simple tips to safely enjoy the spooky season:

Make costumes easy to see. Choose bright colors, add reflective tape to costumes and candy bags, and give every child a flashlight or glow stick.
Use face paint instead of masks. Masks can block side vision, which kids need to spot cars.
Check the fit. Hem long costumes and choose comfortable shoes to prevent trips and falls on curbs and steps.
Walk with young children. Kids under 12 should trick-or-treat with an adult. Older kids should go in groups, stick to a planned route, and check in by phone.
Stay on sidewalks. If there’s no sidewalk, walk facing traffic, as far from the road as possible.
Cross at corners and crosswalks. Look left, right, and left again, and never dart out between parked cars.
Put phones away while walking. Keep your eyes up and head up when crossing streets.
Choose well-lit neighborhoods, or try a trunk-or-treat or community event where cars stay parked.

Halloween Safety Tips for Drivers

Drivers carry the biggest responsibility on Halloween night. A child in a dark costume can step into the street in an instant, and a driver looking at a phone for two seconds may never see them.

Put your phone away. Silence it or set it to driving mode before you start the car. No texting, scrolling, or adjusting navigation while moving.
Slow down in neighborhoods. Drive well below the speed limit on residential streets, especially between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Expect the unexpected. Watch for kids darting between parked cars, crossing mid-block, or walking in the street.
Take extra care backing out. Look carefully in driveways and alleys, where small children are hard to see.
Turn on your headlights early, even before full dark, so trick-or-treaters can see you coming.
Pass stopped cars carefully. A car stopped in the road may be letting children out.
Avoid neighborhoods when you can. If you’re passing through, stick to main roads like I-435, Metcalf, or Main Street rather than cutting through residential streets.

Halloween Parties and Drunk Driving

With Halloween on a Saturday, parties in Westport, the Power & Light District, and backyards across the metro will run late. NHTSA data shows that from 2020 to 2024, more than half of people ages 21 to 34 killed in crashes on Halloween night were in drunk-driving crashes. In 2024, one person was killed every 44 minutes in a drunk-driving crash in the U.S.

If you’re celebrating:

Plan your ride before the party starts. Choose a sober driver, book a rideshare, or plan to stay over.
Don’t drive “buzzed.” Even a few drinks slow your reaction time, and that’s dangerous on streets full of kids.
Hosts, look out for guests. Offer food and non-alcoholic drinks, stop serving before the night ends, and take the keys from anyone who has had too much.
Remember the time change. Clocks fall back an hour early Sunday morning, November 1, which can stretch the night (and the drinking) even longer.

If you see a driver weaving or speeding through a neighborhood, pull over safely and call 911.

What to Do If You or Your Child Is Hit by a Car on Halloween

If a driver hits your child or another family member, take these steps:

Call 911 right away. Get medical care, even if the injuries seem minor. Head injuries and internal injuries don’t always show up at first.
Get a police report. Ask officers to document the scene, the driver, and any signs of impairment.
Collect information. Get the driver’s name, insurance, and license plate, plus names and phone numbers of witnesses.
Take photos. Capture the scene, lighting, vehicles, and your child’s costume, which can show how visible they were.
Ask nearby homes about video. Doorbell and security cameras often record Halloween crashes in neighborhoods.
Talk to a lawyer before the insurance company. Don’t give a recorded statement or accept a quick settlement.

Let Your Local Personal Injury Law Firm Help

At Foster Wallace Personal Injury Lawyers, we help Kansas City families after pedestrian accidents, car accidents, and drunk driving crashes. We’ll investigate what happened, deal with the insurance companies, and fight for the compensation your family deserves.

Have a fun Halloween, KC, and keep an eye out for little ones.

Hurt in a Halloween accident? Contact our Kansas City personal injury lawyers today. Call 816-249-2101 for a free consultation.