Halloween Safety Tips

From Safe Kids Worldwide: https://www.safekids.org/press-release/10-easy-things-you-can-do-keep-kids-safe-halloween

Washington, D.C. – Halloween can be one of the most fun nights of the year for children across America, but for parents, it can be the most nerve-wracking as well. On average, twice as many kids are killed while walking on Halloween than on any other day of the year. By taking just a few simple precautions, kids, parents and drivers can make the night fun and safe.

Tips for a Happy (and Safe) Halloween

Safe costumes:

• Decorate costumes and bags with reflective tape or stickers and, if possible, choose light colored clothing.
• Masks can obstruct a child’s vision, so choose non-toxic face paint and make-up whenever possible.
• Have children carry glow sticks or flashlights so they can see better, as well as be seen by drivers.

Safe walking:

• 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.
• Walk on sidewalks or paths. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible.
• Put electronic devices down and keep heads up and walk, don’t run, across the street.
• It’s best to cross the street safely at corners. And always look left, right and left again when crossing and keep looking as you cross.

Safe driving:

• 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.
• Reduce any distractions inside your car, such as talking on the phone or eating, so you can concentrate on the road and your surroundings.

Safe Kids is joining together with FedEx® to promote safe walking this Halloween. FedEx volunteers are teaming up with 167 local Safe Kids coalitions in towns and cities across the United States to provide reflective materials and safe walking information to parents and children.

“On Halloween, kids are so excited that they probably aren’t thinking about walking safely,” said Kate Carr, president and CEO of Safe Kids Worldwide. “That’s why we’re encouraging parents to talk with their kids before Halloween night about how to stay safe while walking, and then join them for trick-or-treating, especially if the kids are 10 and under.”

Long before letting them head outside for trick or treating, talk to your kids about watching out for cars. Teach kids to make eye contact with drivers before crossing the street and use crosswalks, when possible. Additionally, parents can use glow sticks, flashlights or reflective trick-or-treat bags to make sure kids’ costumes are visible to drivers.

In 2000, Safe Kids Worldwide and program sponsor FedEx launched the Walk This Way Program in the United States to educate motorists and child pedestrians and create safer, more walkable communities. Safe Kids and FedEx address the issue through research, physical improvements to school zones, and education and awareness campaigns throughout the year.

For more tips on how to help kids become safer pedestrians on Halloween, and throughout the year, visit www.safekids.org and visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/safekidsworldwide.

About Safe Kids Worldwide

Safe Kids Worldwide is a nonprofit organization working to prevent childhood injury, the number one cause of death for children in the United States. Throughout the world, almost one million children die of an injury each year, and almost every one of these tragedies is preventable. Safe Kids works with an extensive network of more than 400 coalitions in the U.S. and with partners in more than 25 countries to reduce traffic injuries, drownings, falls, burns, poisonings and more. Since 1988, Safe Kids has helped reduce the U.S. childhood death rate from unintentional injury by 60 percent. Working together, we can do much more for kids everywhere. Join our effort at safekids.org.

About FedEx

FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services.  With annual revenues of $48 billion, the company offers integrated business applications through operating companies competing collectively and managed collaboratively, under the respected FedEx brand. Consistently ranked among the world's most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than 325,000 team members to remain "absolutely, positively" focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities.  For more information, visit news.fedex.com.