Children Are Twice As Likely To Be Hit By A Car On Halloween!
Safe Kids Worldwide, a global organization committed to preventing accidental childhood injuries, asserts that children are twice as likely to be hit by a car on Halloween. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that falls are a leading cause of injuries among children on Halloween. With those scary stats in mind, here are tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Safety Council and the CDC to make Halloween safer:
Use face paints instead of masks.
Require children to wear comfortable shoes and dress appropriately for weather conditions.
Avoid costume accessories that could cause harm, such as knives, swords, broom handles and wands.
Avoid loose-fitting costumes that could cause a child to trip and fall and check labels to ensure the costumes are flame-resistant. Add reflective tape to costumes. Small children should have their names and addresses attached to their costumes.
An adult should accompany young trick-or-treaters. Discuss safety rules with kids before allowing them to go trick-or-treating.
Wear a watch you can read in the dark.
Set a trick-or-treating route and stick with it.
Remind children to visit homes familiar to them or you and don't approach unlit homes.
Remind children not to enter strangers’ homes.
Discuss appropriate and inappropriate behavior at Halloween time.
Provide kids with small battery-powered flashlights.
Stay on sidewalks and avoid crossing yards. Cross streets at the corner, use crosswalks (where they exist) and do not cross between parked cars.
Drivers, slow down. Watch for children in the street and on medians. Exit driveways and alleyways carefully.
Inspect all Halloween treats before children start feasting. Discard any food that is not in its original and undamaged wrapper. Keep homemade food only if you know who prepared it.
