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Clark County wants to stop trick-or-treating at 9 p.m.

County wants to stop trick-or-treating by 9
Posted at 3:44 PM, Oct 17, 2017
and last updated 2017-10-31 19:03:28-04

UPDATE OCT. 31: Inside by nine, it's a new request from Clark County for all trick-or-treaters.

Halloween is a dangerous night to be out walking. It's important to make sure your child can be seen.

Most fatalities happen when it's dark outside, according to Erin Breen, a safety expert at the Transportation Research Center at UNLV.

In the fall, the sun sets earlier and earlier. Plus, this year Clark County has already topped last year's number for pedestrian deaths: 59 deaths so far in 2017.

A scary detail: 9 people have died walking on the sidewalk, doing nothing wrong.

"As someone who spends her life and takes each one of them personally, it's been a really, really rough year," said Breen.

Halloween is a night that sets off red flags for safety experts. It's a night of partying after the sun sets, and kids are out walking in the dark.

"Halloween is huge on our radar. The national statistics say that pedestrian fatalities for children go up by one third on Halloween night," said Breen.

One of those statistics happened in the valley.

Faith Love was killed by a drunk driver in 2011 while she was trick or treating. The tragedy happened in Summerlin. The driver was sentenced to prison time.

ORIGINAL STORY

Clark County has launched a new campaign to keep trick-or-treaters safe on Halloween this year. They are discouraging trick-or-treating after 9 p.m.

"Halloween is a lot of fun for families across the Las Vegas Valley, but it is also a dangerous time," said Commissioner Lawrence Weekly, the driving force behind the campaign. "Children in costume are excited and sometimes don't pay attention to traffic and may dart out into roads with costumes obscuring their vision. Drivers sometimes don't see children until it's too late. It's important that parents encourage safe behavior on the part of their children and that drivers be especially careful. If we can reduce children's exposure to potential harm, if they can be 'inside by 9,' we'll all be better off."

Residents are also being asked to turn off their porch lights by 9 p.m. to discourage children from visiting.

Check out Insideby9.com for more information.