Halloween Safety Tips
There’s a big difference between spooky fun and dangerous scares. Follow these car safety tips to drive safely so that you, and everyone in your neighborhood, have a Happy Halloween! According the NHTSA, Halloween is one of the three deadliest days of the year for pedestrians, and the top deadliest day of the year for pedestrians between the ages of 5 and 14.
Even in the days leading up to Oct 31st, children will be out trick-or-treating. Peak trick-or-treating time is 5:30pm-9pm, so it is especially dangerous this year as Halloween falls on a Monday. Kids may be distracted by all the spooky fun, so it’s especially important to be extra vigilant.
- Drive Slowly and anticipate heavy pedestrian traffic
- Many Halloween costumes are dark, so keep a sharp eye on the road, particularly after dark.
- Don’t pass stopped vehicles, because they may be dropping off trick-or-treaters.
- Avoid listening to the radio or talking on the phone. Even if you can’t see trick-or-treaters, you may be able to hear them.
- Be especially careful if you need to back out of a driveway or alley.
- Before you leave, make sure headlights, tail lights and turn signals are working properly so that you are visible to both pedestrians and fellow motorists.
- Skip masks, wings, capes, high heels and other elaborate accessories, or put them on after you’ve reached your destination so that they don’t restrict your visibility and range of motion.
- Don’t drink and drive. According to the NHTSA, 23-percent of pedestrian deaths on Halloween between 2007 and 2011 involved a drunk driver in some way.
Here are some Halloween Safety tips for parents from Safe Kids Worldwide
- Cross the street at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks.
- Look left, right and left again when crossing and keep looking as you cross.
- Put electronic devices down and keep heads up and walk, don’t run, across the street.
- Teach children to make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them.
- Always walk on sidewalks or paths. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible. Children should walk on direct routes with the fewest street crossings.
- Watch for cars that are turning or backing up. Teach children to never dart out into the street or cross between parked cars.
Please stay safe this All Hallows' Eve. Happy Halloween from everyone here at Rear View Safety!
