COLUMBIA – In preparation for Halloween and the end of daylight savings time on November 6, the South Carolina Department of Public Safety is driving home a few important safety tips to keep pedestrians safe – on Halloween and beyond.

Most pedestrian fatalities occur between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. with rates at their highest on Thursdays and Saturdays and on rural roadways with poor visibility, as compared to city streets.

There have been 115 pedestrians killed this year compared to 99 at the same time in 2015 (as of October 27). Last year there were two reported pedestrian deaths on Halloween night.

The SCHP offers the following safety tips for pedestrians and motorists:

Motorists:

• Use high beams at night when possible, especially on rural roads and areas with low visibility.
• Scan ahead for pedestrian activity and be prepared to react – avoid distractions in your vehicle that may take your eyes off the roadway.
• Adjust speed on poorly lit, rural roadways where the majority of fatal pedestrian collisions occur.
• If you hit an object in the roadway and are unsure what you hit, stop and check. 

Pedestrians:

• Pedestrians  should always wear retro-reflective or white clothing at dusk or night and brightly colored clothing with retro-reflective materials during daylight.
• Place retro-reflective material on areas of movement such as elbows, knees, and ankles in addition to the wrists and chest.
• Walk facing traffic and out of the roadway when possible; if there is no shoulder on the roadway, walk as close to the edge of roadway as possible. 

SECTION 56-5-3160.  Pedestrians on highways.

(a) Where a sidewalk is provided and its use is practicable, it shall be unlawful for any pedestrian to walk along and upon an adjacent roadway.

(b) Where a sidewalk is not available any pedestrian walking along and upon a highway shall walk only on a shoulder as far as practicable from the edge of the roadway.

(c) Where neither a sidewalk nor a shoulder is available, any pedestrian walking along and upon a highway shall walk as near as practicable to an outside edge of the roadway and, if on a two-way roadway, shall walk only on the left side of the roadway.

(d) Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, any pedestrian upon a roadway shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles upon the roadway.

The South Carolina Department of Public Safety includes the Highway Patrol, State Transport Police, Bureau of Protective Services, Office of Highway Safety and Justice Programs, Immigration Enforcement Unit and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame. Our mission is to ensure public safety by protecting and serving the people of South Carolina and its visitors.