Phoenix, look both ways before crossing the street this Halloween!

The treat is a delicious bucket of sweet confections, the trick, in Phoenix’s roadways, is staying alive.

As costume-clad children run from house to house with pillowcases full of slowly melting candy, they can easily get caught up in the moment and forget to look both ways before stepping onto the street. 

But this Halloween, double-checking before crossing an Arizona roadway matters even more, according to an analysis of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data by insurance company MoneyGeek. Arizona pedestrians are more than twice as likely to die on the Oct. 31 holiday from a vehicle. Plus, weekend Halloweens only make trick-or-treating more dangerous. 

Over a four-year period from 2010 to 2014, 12 people died in Arizona on Halloween, which is the sixth-highest in the country, behind California, Texas, Florida, New York and New Jersey. Compared to the rest of the year, Arizona saw an average of 5.5 deaths a day during that time period, meaning the state’s Halloween pedestrian toll was 118% higher than the rest of the year, according to NHTSA data. 

These deaths aren’t occurring as families walk their dogs in the morning and indulge in pre-trick-or-treating neighborhood pizza. Roadways are most dangerous during peak door-to-door candy-requesting hours. More than half of pedestrian deaths occurred between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. nationwide, according to a 15-year NHTSA study. 

Pedestrian fatality rates are likely driven up by the thousands of Arizona children who are hitting the state’s narrow sidewalks and streets to haggle with their neighbors for candy in crazy outfits. But drivers, and their passengers, aren’t safe from the perils of the spooky holiday either. 

Similar to pedestrian fatality rates, according to NHTSA data, traffic-related deaths also occur at a higher rate in Arizona on Halloween than the rest of the year. In Arizona, total traffic-related deaths are 21% higher on Halloween. 

Adding to the chaos, Halloween falls on a Saturday this year. So, conditions are expected to be even more dangerous for pedestrians and drivers. According to MoneyGreek’s analysis, alcohol-impaired deaths on Saturday Halloweens occurred 29% more often than on an average Saturday nationwide.

Over a 10-year period, there’s an average of 22.2 alcohol-impaired deaths and 56.6 all traffic deaths nationwide on weekday-Halloween nights. But during the last two Saturday-night Halloweens, those numbers more than doubled. Most recently, in 2020, alcohol-impaired deaths increased by more than 172% and traffic deaths skyrocketed by more than 120%.

The next Saturday Halloween will not occur until October 31, 2037 (mark your calendars!). Partygoing ghouls will likely take advantage of the next-day-off by downing more than a couple of cocktails. 

Iif you and your family plan to hit the mean streets of Phoenix Saturday night to scrounge up some king-size candy bars, remember to keep your head on a swivel, look both ways, and maybe bring a poncho.