Halloween is quickly approaching. Your children may
have already picked their costumes—happy to be a ghost, goblin, witch, or fairy
princess—but don’t forget about children’s safety as they trick or
treat this Halloween evening. Excited children and increased foot traffic
on neighborhood streets raise the risk for accidents. There are ways to lower
those risks, however. We’ll tell you some simple guidelines to help keep
children safe and help drivers navigate the streets with caution.
The Halloween Safety Risks are Real
Research from Sperling’s BestPlaces and State Farm
proves Halloween to be “the deadliest day of the year
for child pedestrian accidents.” Accidents involving
vehicles and children are more than double on Halloween than on any other day
of the year. 70% of these accidents happen somewhere other than an
intersection or crosswalk. 25% of accidents occur between the hours of 6 p.m.
and 7 p.m., when the sun is setting and it starts getting dark. Those
statistics are a lot scarier than any costume or face mask.
Here’s
the bottom line. Be aware of your surroundings and use the
following tips to keep the kids, yourself and others safe and have fun this
Halloween.
Safety Advice on Costumes
Parents and kids:
·
Masks and
head-wear should not block vision.
Hats should fit securely so they don’t
slip over eyes. If you are fiddling with a head piece, mask or hat, you may
be less aware of your surroundings.
·
Wear bright
costumes and reflective tape for visibility.
While reflective tape might not be
suitable for a Batman costume, it will make you visible to drivers and keep you
safe. Get creative. Who said the bat on the front of your shirt or on the back
of your cape couldn’t be reflective and really bright?
·
Make sure
you are comfortable.
Similar to the above, you do not want
to be worrying about wardrobe malfunctions when you should be worrying about
your surroundings. Make sure your costume is comfortable and that you are able
to move freely in it. This will also help prevent any trips and falls.
Driving on Halloween
Drivers,
here are some Halloween safety tips:
·
Watch for
kids at intersections and anywhere near the street or road.
Use extra caution. Imagine that kid
standing on the curb suddenly darting in front of your car. Assume
there will be kids out of view—perhaps behind that large oak tree or parked
van—that could potentially cross your driving path.
·
Slow down
when going through residential neighborhoods.
While we would like to think that all
kids will be looking both ways and crossing in crosswalks, some will not.
Slowing down on neighborhood streets will give you more time to react.
·
Use caution
when pulling in and out of driveways.
Picking up and dropping off happens a
lot on Halloween, making it very important to Triple-check when backing
up! With kids so focused on the candy they just received and the next house
they are going to hit, they are not as concerned with the cars pulling in and
out of driveways.
Halloween should be not different to any other driving situation. Eliminate all distractions such as cell phones, food, unruly passengers and loud music to make sure all focus is on driving.
·
Keep your
headlights on, even if it isn’t dark yet.
This will help make your car more
visible to pedestrians. Headlights, of course, at night and even at dusk help
you see the road ahead more clearly.
·
Make your
vehicle easy to spot.
If you are following behind trick or
treaters in a car or responsible for pick up or drop off of trick or treaters,
make sure you have something unique like a light up pumpkin on your dash or a
decorative antenna topper for kids to recognize. This will prevent against
kids accidentally approaching the wrong car.
Trick or Treating Tips
·
Stay with a
group.
Straying from the group is a recipe
for something bad to happen. If this does happen, make sure you have discussed
meeting locations for your group to resort back to if a group member has
strayed.
·
Carry a
flashlight or glow sticks.
This will ensure that you are seen and
can see where you are going. Remember, if you cannot see them, they cannot see
you.
·
Cross the
street at corners and in cross walks.
This goes without saying, but the
safest way to cross a street is after looking both ways and crossing in a
crosswalk or at the corner of a street. Crossing guards and traffic lights also
help with making crossing the street safer, so take advantage when the
opportunity presents itself.
·
Practice the
fundamental rule we all learn: Stop, Look and Listen before crossing the street.
We have all learned it at some point
or another in our lives. Halloween is the perfect night to not forget the
safety tips we’ve learned.
·
Walk! Don’t
run across the street, especially before looking both ways.
Slowing down and walking across the
street will help everyone see you and keep you safe.
·
Don’t text
and treat!
Look where you are walking and be
aware of your surroundings. This will also prevent you from walking into the
low tree limbs that may be trimming the sidewalk.
·
Make eye
contact with the driver of the vehicle before crossing the street.
This is important because this ensures
that both parties, the driver and the crosser, can see each other and recognize
that they see each other.
·
Walk on
sidewalks or paths.
If that is not an option, walk facing
traffic so you can see the cars coming toward you. Walking facing the traffic
will enable you to see the oncoming cars rather than having your back to them
and being unaware at what is driving towards you.
·
Do not walk
in between parked cars and watch for cars that are backing up or turning.
Make it easy and cross at the corner
or crosswalk!
·
Make sure
you have a plan with drop off and meet up points.
Clear understanding by all to ensures
that everyone is on the same page and knows exactly where to go when finished
trick or treating.
·
Follow
curfew.
Most neighborhoods enforce a curfew on
Halloween. While it may seem like a total bummer to have a curfew on one of the
most fun holidays of the year, there is a reason for it. This is to keep the
residents and trick or treaters safe, so follow the curfew!· Consider going trunk or treating.
(If you can’t easily follow these Halloween safety tips).
Final Thoughts
The
overall theme here is pay attention and stay alert. While the fatalities on
Halloween are declining in recent years, it still does not mean that you
can let your guard down in terms of keeping yourself and others safe. If you
keep these guidelines in mind, you can stay safe while having fun, as kids
gather their delightful pile of treats.
HAPPY
HALLOWEEN!
