Halloween Night Should Be Fun, Not Dangerous for Children

October 27, 2015

Important News from Cheyenne Regional’s Injury Prevention Program (Cheyenne, WY)

On average, twice as many kids are killed while walking on Halloween than on any other day of the year. But a few simple precautions for kids and drivers can make the night fun and safe.

“On Halloween, more children are on the street after dark than normal, and they are so excited that they may run out into the street without thinking,” said Stephanie Heitsch of Safe Kids Wyoming and Cheyenne Regional’s Injury Prevention Program. “We’re asking drivers to take extra care and slow down on neighborhood roads. And, of course, it’s very important that drivers put down mobile devices to avoid distraction.”

Parents can use glow sticks or reflective trick-or-treat bags to make sure their kids’ costumes are visible to drivers. And parents should talk to their kids about watching out for cars. Kids should make eye contact with drivers before crossing the street and always try to use crosswalks.

Here are the top tips from Safe Kids to keep kids safe on Halloween:

Top safety tips for kids:

Costumes can be both creative and safe. The most important thing is to make sure children can be seen by drivers. Decorate costumes and bags with reflective tape or stickers and, if possible, choose light colors. Masks can obstruct a child’s vision, so choose non-toxic face paint and make-up whenever possible. Carry glow sticks or flashlights so you can see better and be seen by drivers.
Cross the street safely 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.
Walk on sidewalks or paths. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible.
Slow down and stay alert. Watch out for cars that are turning or backing up and don’t dart out into the street or cross in between parked cars.

Top safety tips for drivers:

Slow down in residential neighborhoods. Remember that popular trick-or-treating hours are 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Be especially alert and take extra time to look for kids at intersections, on medians and on curbs. Children are excited on Halloween and may move in unpredictable ways.