Top 10 Halloween Driving Survival Tips from Queens Park Garage

It’s that time of year again where people eat, drink and be scary. You are likely to see an increase in bodies on the streets - running around in spooky costumes, high on sugar and being purposefully a-boo-sive to passersby… (though on this one night of the year it seems to be perfectly socially acceptable). Halloween can be fun for some and ghastly for others.

We encourage everyone to have fun on Halloween, but also want to raise awareness of some of the things to be aware of, to ensure that the fun doesn’t turn sour.

Halloween is a great opportunity for us all to lift our spirits and bring out our inner child for the night, but let’s say that at some point in the evening you have to go out in the car? Or you are worried about your car being damaged during the night? You may want to sink your teeth into our top ten tips for how to avoid your Halloween celebrations turning into a nightmare…

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1. Drive slowly in built up areas

You should anticipate that there will be a higher level of people traffic on the roads than usual due to the number of trick or treater’s out in your neighbourhood. Drive more slowly and look out for pedestrians trying to cross roads in awkward places, to avoid any accidents.

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2. Don’t overtake cars that have stopped in the road

These cars may be stopping to let young children cross the road. If you try to over take, you could cause an accident that could have been avoided. Be patient and remember that you are unlikely to get anywhere fast on the evening of Halloween.

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3. Beware of children

As many of the parents reading this will know, children that are loaded with sweets and overly excitable can be difficult to manage, no matter how hard you try. As a driver, you should take extra care to look out for children that may step out into the road unintentionally or cross too soon.

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4. Don’t leave valuables in your car

With an elevated level of people out on the streets on Halloween, you may wish to remove any items from your car that may be visible and inviting to thieves. When people are in costume, it can be even more difficult to identify theft so best to do all you can to avoid it completely and not take the risk.

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5. Beware of pranks

Although it is now a criminal offence, some people may be out to cause trouble by throwing eggs. These are particularly difficult to remove from your vehicles sensitive surface but a simple combination of warm water and washing up liquid as it is gentle and will avoid further damage to your paintwork.

Be sure to remove the eggshell first so not to rub it against the paint and cause further scratches. Use a microfibre towel to dry and make sure you try to remove any egg or similar substances using this method, such as shaving foam or silly string, as soon as possible to avoid any discolouration.

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6. Keep your car out of sight to avoid damage

If you have a garage to keep your car in, you may wish to consider storing it away for the evening to avoid any damage to your vehicle, just in case the pranksters decide to attack your car during the night. You may wish at the very least to cover it with a fabric car cover or tarpaulin, if you don’t have a garage, to prevent any unwanted substances landing on your car.

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7. Don’t wear your mask whilst driving

It may seem like an obvious tip but some of us may just need a reminder that no matter how awesome your Halloween costume is, it is not safe to wear it whilst driving to your Halloween party as your ability to see will become limited and it could also be distracting to other drivers.

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8. Don’t drink and drive

If you are heading to a party at Halloween, and you know you might be tempted to enjoy an alcoholic drink, why not get a taxi instead? We are big advocates of not drinking and driving and we recommend that no matter how high you think your alcohol tolerance is, that you stick to being the designated driver and not drink at all, or find an alternative means of transport.

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9. Don’t let yourself get distracted

As there will be more people around on the streets and lots of decorations to look at along the way, try not to let yourself get distracted. Whilst driving, your number one concern is safety – yours and the safety of others, especially the young trick or treater’s that will be out in their masses.

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10. Take care when reversing and pulling out of driveways or junctions

Due to there being lots of little people in dark costumes running around in the neighbourhood, you should take extra care on Halloween to reverse slowly, look all around, especially when pulling out of driveways and when turning out of junctions or going round bends. Best to be safe and not sorry...

We hope that these top ten tips will help you survive Halloween in your neighbourhood and ensure that your evening is more thrilling and less bone-chilling.

If you live in or around Bournemouth and need help repairing or caring for your vehicle, get in touch with our team and visit our blog for more useful articles.

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You can leave your car with us or wait in our comfortable reception with free wi-fi, free refreshments as well as viewing panel and CCTV so you can watch us while we work on your car.

Please see our Visitors page for safety guidance.

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