HALLOWEEN SHOULD BE A FUN, NOT DANGEROUS NIGHT FOR CHILDREN

NOVEMBER 25, 2013

Washington, D.C.– Halloween might be scary for different reasons than you think.  On average, twice as many kids are killed while walking on Halloween than on any other day of the year.  With a few tips and tricks, kids can stay safe while out walking.  Safe Kids Worldwide and FedEx Express® urge parents to prepare their children to walk safely, and remind drivers to be particularly alert this Halloween.

“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 Kate Carr, President and CEO of Safe Kids Worldwide. “Drivers need 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.”

Safe Kids and FedEx are teaming up to keep kids safe on Halloween.  Across the country, 156 Safe Kids Coalitions, with support from FedEx volunteers, will provide reflective materials and safety information to children and parents. Children are encouraged to wear the reflective material on Halloween night to increase their visibility to drivers.

“Parents need to talk to their children about watching out for cars while trick-or-treating,” says Carr. “And make sure that their costume has something reflective on it so cars can see them.  You could even have kids put on a glow stick necklace or a reflective slap bracelet.”

Safe Kids and FedEx recommend these top tips 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 you can be seen by drivers. Decorate costumes and bags with reflective tape or stickers and, if possible, choose light colors. Masks can obstruct your vision, so choose non-toxic face paint and make-up whenever possible. Carry glow sticks or flashlights so you can see better, as well as 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.
• Reduce any distractionsinside your car, such as talking on the phone or eating, so you can concentrate on the road and your surroundings.

In 2000, Safe Kids Worldwide and program sponsor FedEx Express 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.organd visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/safekidsusa.

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About Safe Kids Worldwide

Safe Kids Worldwide is a global network of organizations dedicated to providing parents and caregivers with practical and proven resources to protect kids from unintentional injuries, the number one cause of death to children in the United States. Throughout the world, almost one million children die of an injury each year, and every one of these tragedies is preventable. Safe Kids works with an extensive network of more than 600 coalitions in the United States and in 23 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 55 percent. Working together, we can do much more for kids everywhere. Join our effort at safekids.org.