Drive Carefully for a Frightfully Safe Halloween

October is the second highest ranked month for pedestrian fatalities.  Approximately 6,300 deaths and 145,000 injuries occurred among pedestrians in 2014 according to the National Safety Council’s Injury Facts 2016 publication.

With Halloween being such a popular holiday pedestrian safety is a real issue for trick-or-treaters and drivers alike.  Pedestrians and drivers need to be extra cautious on the roads, as Halloween is typically the second deadliest day for pedestrians after New Year’s Day, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).  Here are some driver and pedestrian safety tips that we have researched from various sources.  Keep these in mind while trick-or-treating this year:

Drivers:

• Drive slowly in and around neighborhoods and residential streets. 
• Enter and exit driveways slowly.
• Watch for children who may dart out into the street. Expect the unexpected.  Remember that excited children are hard to control.
• If you are driving children around for trick or treating, make sure they are buckled up in a child safety seat or vehicle seatbelt. 
• Pull over to safe locations to let children exit curb side, away from traffic. Use your hazards to alert other drivers of your car.
• Be aware of stopped cars that may be loading or unloading passengers.
• Eliminate Distraction by not using a cell phone or other mobile device while driving. It is far too dangerous to drive on Halloween to add further, unnecessary risks. Pull over safely to check voice messages, or texts, as needed. 
• Do not drink and drive!  Make plans to have a DD or use a taxi or driver service such as Uber to get around town.
• Once it becomes dark be sure to look out for trick-or-treaters in dark costumes or clothing.
• Popular trick-or-treating hours are 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. so be especially alert for kids during those hours.

Trick-or-Treaters:

• Cross the street at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks.
• Look left, right and left again when crossing and keep looking as you cross. 
• Stay off phones and other electronic devices and keep head up while walking.
• Tell children to make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them.
• Always walk on sidewalks or paths. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible.  Children should walk on direct routes with the fewest street crossings.
• Watch for cars that are turning or backing up. Teach children to never dart out into the street or cross between parked cars.
• Children 12 and under should be accompanied by an adult.
• Children should travel only in familiar, well-lit areas and avoid trick-or-treating alone
• Tell your children not to eat any treats until they return home
• Children should never enter a stranger's home
• Make sure any dark clothing is offset by reflective tape
• Costumes should not obscure vision or present a trip hazard.

Follow these safety tips to ensure that you and your family have a safe and fun Halloween.

Do you have workers that drive for your business?  Whether employees drive daily or periodically for your business, they should take a Driver Safety Training online course to assist in meeting OSHA training requirements.  Click below to visit our online course training video library to take this course on driver workplace safety training. 

Need an employee Health and Safety Manual for your business to assist in meeting OSHA requirements? Contact SafeLink Consulting for customized safety programs specific to your industry.

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