Trick-Or-Treating Safety Tips

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If you’re taking your kids trick-or-treating tonight, be especially careful about crossing the street.

A new study this week found you’re 43% more likely to get hit and killed by a car on Halloween. And obviously kids are the most vulnerable demographic.

Children between 4 and 8 are FIVE TIMES more likely to get hit on Halloween. And previous studies have found the most dangerous time is between 6:00 and 7:00 PM.

Here are three tips to help make sure you have a safe night . . .

1. Make sure drivers can see you. Glow sticks and flashlight are always a good idea. And so is reflective tape, especially if your kid’s costume is a dark color. Obviously use sidewalks and crosswalks. And maybe go with face paint instead of a mask, since masks can obscure vision.

2. Watch out for drunk drivers. A government study found they cause about 14% of all casualties associated with people being hit by cars on Halloween.

3. Make sure your kid’s costume doesn’t make it too hard to walk, and make sure they can see through their mask. Trips and falls are the second most-common type of injury associated with Halloween. Cutting yourself while carving a pumpkin is #1.

And here are some tips for drivers tonight . . .

Be alert for children walking and stay focused on the road.
Drive slowly, especially in residential areas.
Practice extra caution at intersections and corners.
Pull in and out of driveways carefully, especially when backing up.
Discuss these and other driving pointers with your teen driver, especially if they’ll be out during the hours of trick-or-treating.\
- Be on alert for children running in between parked cars and crossing the street in the middle of the block.
- Avoid tailgating. The car in front of you may be following along with children as they trick-or-treat.
- Use your car’s hazard lights to alert other drivers if you are dropping off your children.
- Avoid distractions while driving. Turn the radio off, put away the smart phone and pull over if you need to direct attention to kids in the back seat.
- Leave early. From school and local park district activities to neighborhood and family parties, Halloween can be an action-packed day. Leave yourself plenty of time so you don’t have to rush. Ten or fifteen extra minutes can make a big difference.
- If possible, park vehicles in the garage on Halloween night.