Driving In A Halloween Costume

by Éric Plamondon - FPAA, National Bank Insurance paid contributor

For Halloween, National Bank Insurance Auto | Home has imagined the role insurance might play in various situations you might encounter for the holiday. Not to say that insurance should be taken lightly, mind you!

Driving on Halloween night is all too often an exercise in braking. Surrounded by superheroes, princesses, and other fantastical beings out roaming the streets, it’s a night when we need to be twice as careful, and twice as vigilant. But what if you need to get behind the wheel in costume? 

Visibility and reaction time

You’ve picked your costume. It’s going to be the Hulk, or maybe a dinosaur, Puss in Boots, Mr. Muscle, a sumo wrestler or some other cumbersome outfit. If you’ve picked a big, imposing costume like this, you probably want to make a big entrance when you get to the party – and you probably don’t want to spend the first 20 minutes of the night getting changed in the bathroom. The only solution is to get dressed up before you leave. I’m having flashbacks to a grape costume that involved 150 inflated balloons… 

Safety is the most important thing. Your costume shouldn’t block your field of vision, or impede your movements. In fact, the highway safety code is pretty clear on that score: “[…]any action that can endanger human life and safety or property is prohibited.” If wearing your costume makes you less alert, or prevents you from reacting as quickly as you normally would, then don’t wear it.  

This advice goes for your costume, your accessories (that witch’s broom will be perfectly fine in the trunk!) and your mask. Wearing a mask isn’t specifically prohibited – but it shouldn’t reduce your visibility or range of motion. 

What about insurance?

What’s the insurance connection? Well, safety, for one thing. When you drive safely, you reduce the risk of causing an accident, or falling victim to one. Did you know that every claim is registered with the Automobile Claims Database? They are – and they can be taken into account by your insurer when determining your car insurance premiums. 

Another reason to play it safe? If a member of law enforcement decides that you are driving in unsafe conditions, you could be adding the cost of a ticket to your Halloween expenses. And a ticket means a declaration to your insurer, and a potential impact on your premiums. 

In conclusion

To avoid putting your life and others in danger, to avoid damaging property, and to avoid a potential increase in insurance premiums… Drive safely. 

If your costume is too big, put it on when you get there. If your mask is too cumbersome, leave it on the back seat until you reach your destination. You’ll find a way to impress everyone at the party, even if you miss your big entrance. Above all, on this spookiest of nights, remember to play it safe.