NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Halloween is a night kids wait for all year. But while they’re focused on candy and costumes, safety advocates say it’s also one of the most dangerous nights for people on foot.

In Nashville, the danger is especially concerning. Metro Police report 27 pedestrian deaths so far this year — nine more than this point last year.
That risk climbs higher on Halloween.

Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found pedestrian fatalities are 43% higher on Halloween than on any other night.

To make the night safer, a record 71 neighborhoods are temporarily closing their streets to traffic so families can celebrate without cars in the mix. The number of participating neighborhoods is up more than 73% from last year.

Calah Gipson with Walk Bike Nashville is working with the city to help neighbors close their streets, giving families more room to celebrate.

“This year, especially, we wanted to highlight the same initiative on Halloween because, like you said, so many families and kids are already going to be out, and we want to make it even easier to enjoy the street with your neighbors and with your family and friends.”

For a few hours, streets normally filled with traffic become places where children can run, neighbors can gather, and trick-or-treaters can move from house to house without constantly looking over their shoulders.

“We see open streets as a tool in the fight against pedestrian fatalities by demonstrating what it’s like when a street doesn’t have cars on it, and it is prioritizing people,” Gipson said.

For kids, the night is all about the candy. For parents, the real treat is making sure everyone gets home safely.

And for neighborhoods keeping their streets open to traffic, the message is simple: slow down. Kids are excited. They’re distracted. And after dark, they can be hard to see.

https://www.openstreetsnashville.org/toolkit [openstreetsnashville.org] — (goes to the Open Streets toolkit, which is our most comprehensive guide to all types of car-free events)

https://www.openstreetsnashville.org/block-party [openstreetsnashville.org] — (simplified information focusing on Block Parties, which is what most Open Streets tomorrow are)

https://www.nashville.gov/open-streets [nashville.gov]— NDOT’s page, with access to the interactive map you saw

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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