Turn Fright Night Into a Safe Night Goblins Aren’t the Only Ones Lurking … Watch for Pedestrians This Halloween
Behind the ghoulish fun and festive spirit, hidden dangers lurk on Halloween: dark streets, distracted pedestrians, and drivers who may not expect little ghosts and superheroes to pop out from between parked cars. Add a few teenagers behind the wheel (sometimes driving too fast, sometimes making poor choices), and it can turn into a recipe for disaster. That’s why a little extra caution from both drivers and pedestrians can keep the night sweet instead of scary.
Don't forget to turn your headlights on earlier than usual to improve your visibility, and be especially cautious when entering or exiting driveways. If you suspect another driver is impaired, immediately report it to law enforcement. Lastly, know that reducing your speed by just a few miles per hour can be the difference between a near-miss and a tragedy.
contact with drivers before stepping into the road. Keep devices tucked away and always walk, never run, across the street. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic and as far to the left as possible. These small steps can dramatically lower the chances of an accident. KEEPING HALLOWEEN FUN AND SAFE When we stay alert, slow down, and make wise choices, we can all keep Halloween about fun instead of fear. If you or someone you know has been injured due to a driver’s negligence, our team at Ty Wilson Law is here to help you understand your rights and fight for the compensation you deserve.
FOR PARENTS: SAFETY STARTS BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE HOUSE
Before the fun begins, talk with your kids about how to stay safe. Plan a direct route with minimal street crossings, and use a buddy system so no one walks alone. Costumes should be bright or decorated with reflective tape, and glow sticks or flashlights can help kids be more visible to drivers. Remind your kids that they should use crosswalks or intersections whenever possible when crossing streets, and make eye
FOR DRIVERS: EXTRA VIGILANCE COULD SAVE A LIFE
If you’re behind the wheel on Halloween night, expect the unexpected. Children may dart into the street without warning, especially when excited about candy. Slow down in residential areas and keep your eyes scanning the road, not your phone. Remember, popular trick-or- treating hours are between 5:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., so be on high alert during that window.
Surprising Southern Halloween Laws
Clergy, Candy, and Criminal Codes
Depending on where you live, Halloween is either a holiday for spooky fun or a one-way ticket to the wrong side of the law. Surprisingly, certain parts of the country have Halloween-related laws regulating everything from who can wear a mask to whom you’re allowed to make laugh. Here are a few obscure-but-true laws in the South that, if broken, are scarier than any haunted hayride. THE GREAT MUSTACHIOED PRIEST MENACE If you’re a Halloween reveler in Alabama, be careful with your costume choice — God and the law are watching. Dressing up like a priest, rabbi, nun, or other clergy member on Oct. 31 or any other day of the year could cost you a fine of up to $500 or up to a year behind bars. The law was established to show respect to religious institutions by discouraging citizens from impersonating faith leaders. Additionally, Alabama’s focus on maintaining a sense of decorum in religious practices extends to what citizens do in the presence of actual priests. Naturally, disrupting services by prompting attendees to burst out laughing is bad form, which is why the state prohibits anyone from wearing a fake mustache in church to elicit a chuckle.
Was this practice really widespread enough to inspire an actual law? While the law’s historical origins are unclear, it demonstrates the state's commitment to religious faith and willingness to fine anyone who attempts to mock it. THE DECRIMINALIZED CHILDREN OF DUBLIN Dublin, Georgia, has an odd — and, depending on your age, totally fun — legal perspective concerning facial coverings. Although the city’s rules were loosened temporarily at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, municipal laws prohibit people from “wearing a mask, hood, or other apparel or regalia in such manner as to conceal [their] identity, or in such manner that [their] face is not fully visible, or in such manner that [they] may not be recognized.” However, Dublin makes an annual exception for children under the age of 16 who “may be garbed in the usual or customary children's Halloween costumes.” While parents or older siblings will face a misdemeanor charge if they’re caught wearing a mask while accompanying their little ones trick-or-treating, at least children in Dublin won’t be deemed juvenile criminals for covering their faces while on the hunt for neighborhood candy.
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