Truckers, it’s Halloween weekend! You probably won’t see any ghosts unless you take some haunted routes. For example, you could check out South Carolina’s haunted crybaby bridge, which has personally scared the snot out of me a few times.
However, you could still run into some tricksters and ghouls causing trouble on the roads. Just like around any holiday, traffic will increase and the roads will become more dangerous. We want you to stay safe this Halloween, so we have a list of what to watch out for during your routes.
Halloween Danger On Our Roads
1. Drunk Drivers
Halloween has all of the vampires and goblins crawling out to dress up and drink for a good time. From house parties to bar crawls people will venture out all over and may not use their best judgment.
If you see a drunk driver on the road pull over and call 911. Report the car model and license plate number so the cops know what to look out for. If you stay on the road with them be sure to maintain a safe distance.
Signs of drunk driving include swerving, tailgating, sudden braking, drifting, driving without headlights on in the dark, driving in the wrong lane, and more.
2. Increased Law Enforcement
Extra drivers will be on the road and extra law enforcement officers will be out to catch speeders, drunk drivers, and more. We don’t know what your worst fear is, it could be spiders, maybe it’s snakes, but explaining your speeding ticket to your wife might be a terrifying Halloween experience all on it’s own!
In order to avoid getting pulled over be on your best driving behavior. Don’t speed, tailgate, or sporadically change lanes. Also, if you go through a checkpoint things will go much quicker and more smoothly if you remain calm and polite.
3. Oh Deer, So Many Deer!
We’re in rut season for deer, meaning more deer are out looking more mates. During this active time, they are hopping all over the place, including into the road. If you hit a deer or swerve around them and hit something else your truck could suffer thousands of dollars in damage. Also, you could become injured or lose your life.
Watch out for deer on the side of the road by keeping a lookout for shining eyes and slow down. If a deer is in the road, frozen in fear, flash your lights and honk your horn to snap it out of its trance. If a collision is unavoidable, don’t swerve or slam the breaks. Plow through it and assess the damage when you can come to a safe stop.
4. Tricksters
Many kids like to play pranks on Halloween. Including throwing rocks, pumpkins, and eggs at windshields. If you see any suspicious activity on overpasses report it immediately, because this activity is extremely dangerous.
Recently teens in Michigan were throwing rocks from an overpass and their prank turned deadly. A father of four was killed in traffic as a result. The teens were caught and will be tried for murder. Hopefully, other teens will learn from this example.
If your windshield is struck by an object remain calm. Don’t swerve or slam on the breaks, just gradually slow down and turn on your caution lights. Also, if you need to clean your windshield come to a safe stop in a safe area first.
Happy Halloween
We hope you enjoy this spooky holiday. We hope you get the chance to trick or treat with your kids, watch a scary movie, and eat your favorite Halloween treat. If you’re going to be out on the roads be sure to stay safe and drive alert with caution.
If you have any safety tips to add please share them in the comment section below. Also, visit ExpressTruckTax for more trucking blogs.