Panama City parents want to keep their kids safe on Halloween just like they do on other days of the year. But according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it’s estimated that kids have quadruple the risk of getting hit by a car on Halloween than they do on other days of the year.
Below are some tips from local and national authorities to keep your little monsters safer on the spookiest day of the year.
- Stay sober while driving. The traffic safety project coordinator for AAA reminds drivers to slow down and refrain from driving after consuming alcohol. She notes that almost 40 percent of fatal collisions that happen after dark on Halloween involve drunken drivers.
- Eliminate distractions. While this should be an everyday goal, it’s especially important during trick-or-treat times when kids may dart suddenly into the street.
- Make kids obey traffic laws. School-age kids should understand basic safety laws, such as not stepping into the road between parked cars where they will not be as visible to drivers, using sidewalks whenever possible and walking facing traffic when no sidewalks are present.
- Use facial paint instead of masks. Cumbersome masks restrict vision and create hazards.
- Make sure costumes don’t pose safety hazards. Too-long gowns or wide-legged pants can trip kids up.
- Stay off social media while trick-or-treating. The time to snap selfies in those cute costumes is before setting out on the route or after they return.
- Carry glow sticks or flashlights. Increase their visibility to motorists with the use of these safe devices.
- Only trick-or-treat at homes that have lit porch lights. Some residents don’t participate in trick-or-treating, so teach kids to respect all by passing by those houses without porch lights on.
- Accompany wee ones on their door-to-door treks. Walk up to the door with your kids to help them avoid tripping hazards.
If your child winds up injured while trick-or-treating, parents may need to take legal actions in order to preserve the child’s right to compensation for these injuries.
Source: Panama City News Herald, “Safety tips for Halloween season,” Tyra Jackson, Oct. 26, 2017
