Our Programs: Halloween Safety
Each year the month of October brings many fall traditions – football games, raking leaves and plentiful Halloween and Harvest events. It’s a wonderful time of year for families and children to be creative with costumes and decorations. However, Halloween night does present dangers for children. On average, children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than on any other day of the year. Safe Kids wants to share information with parents and caregivers that can help keep their ghosts and goblins safe.
Safe Kids Grand Forks is proud to partner with FedEx on Halloween Safety events. On an international level, FedEx serves as a corporate sponsor of pedestrian and Halloween safety activities. Locally, our FedEx division provides volunteers for events as well as helping to offset the cost of reflective items and brochures distributed throughout the region during the month of October.
Keep Costumes Both Creative and Safe
- Decorate costumes and bags with reflective tape or stickers and, if possible, choose light colors.
- Choose face paint and makeup whenever possible instead of masks, which can obstruct a child’s vision.
- Have kids carry a flashlight or glowsticks to help them see and be seen by drivers.
- When selecting a costume, make sure it is the right size to prevent trips and falls.
- Trick or Treat with an adult.
- Children under the age of 12 should not be alone at night without adult supervision.
- If kids are mature enough to be out without supervision, remind them to stick to familiar areas that are well lit and trick-or-treat in groups.
Walk Safely
- Cross the street at corners; use crosswalks and traffic signals when available.
- 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.
- Teach 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.
Drive Extra Safely on Halloween
- Slow down and be especially alert in residential neighborhoods. Children are excited on Halloween and may move in unpredictable ways.
- Take extra time to look for kids at intersections, on medians and on curbs.
- Enter and exit driveways and alleys slowly and carefully.
- Eliminate any distractions inside your car so you can concentrate on the road and your surroundings.
- Drive slowly, anticipate heavy pedestrian traffic and turn your headlights on earlier in the day to spot children from greater distances.
- Popular trick-or-treating hours are 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. so be especially alert for kids during those hours.
Consider attending alternative Halloween/Harvest events.
Many churches, community centers and businesses throughout our region host events in their facilities and/or parking lots to offer a safe alternative to trick or treating on residential streets. Each fall, Safe Kids Grand Forks compiles a list of events throughout the region and makes it available on our website as well as on our Facebook page. If you know of public Halloween/Harvest events at your agency, church or within your community and you would like Safe Kids Grand Forks to promote them, please contact us at safekids@altru.org.
Halloween Events: Please check our Facebook page for Halloween Events!
For more Halloween safety tips, check out these resources:
