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Contact: Lori Maldonado
Public Information Specialist
(303) 692-2028
For Immediate Release Monday, October 25, 2004
Take Halloween Safety to the Streets This Year
DENVER--The fun of trick-or-treating and the excitement of
Halloween may be a distraction for children. However, careless street
crossing coupled with drivers' more limited vision at night can make for a
deadly mix.
Barbara Bailey, an injury prevention with the Colorado SAFE
KIDS Coalition based at the Colorado Department of Public Health and
Environment, said, “Many of the risks children face on Halloween can be
avoided if parents discuss important safety precautions with them."
Bailey said that children are four times more likely to die
as pedestrians on Halloween than any other night of the year.
“Halloween can indeed be scary, with increases in pedestrian injuries,
burns and falls among children,” she said.
To make certain Colorado’s trick-or-treaters stay safe this
Halloween, Bailey provided the following safety tips for parents to follow
when preparing their children for Halloween. Tips included:
For kids ages 12 and under:
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Adults should accompany children under age 12 on their
trick-or-treat rounds.
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Attach the name, address and phone number (including area
code) of children under age 12 to their clothes in case they get
separated from adults.
For kids ages 12 and older:
All ages:
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Instruct children to travel only in familiar areas and
along a pre-established route.
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Instruct children never to enter a home or an apartment
building unless accompanied by an adult.
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Set a time for children to return home.
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Restrict trick-or-treating visits to homes with porch or
outside lights illuminated
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Tell children to bring their treats home before eating
them. Parents should check treats to ensure that items have not been
tampered with and are safely sealed. Be careful with fruit. Inspect the
surface closely for punctures or holes and cut it open before allowing a
child to eat it.
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Remove breakable items or obstacles such as tools,
ladders and children's toys from your steps, lawn and porch. Keep
jack-o’-lanterns lit with candles away from landings or doorsteps where
costumes might brush against the flame.
PEDESTRIAN INJURIES
Halloween is the most dangerous night of the year for child pedestrians.
Darting out into the street is one of the most common causes of pedestrian
death among children. As children scurry from house to house collecting
treats, it is important for them to take the following precautions:
Visibility
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Decorate costumes, bags and sacks with retroreflective
tape and stickers.
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Use costumes that are light or bright enough to make
children more visible at night.
Traffic
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Teach children to walk, not run, while trick-or-treating.
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Remind children to stop at all street corners before
crossing. Tell them to cross streets only at intersections and
crosswalks.
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Teach them to look left, right and left again before
crossing the street and to continue looking both ways as they cross.
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Teach them never to dart out into a street or cross
between parked cars.
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Never let children under age 12 go trick-or-treating or
cross the street without adult supervision.
Motorists
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Slow down in residential neighborhoods.
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Obey all traffic signs and signals.
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Watch for children walking in the street or on medians
and curbs.
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Enter and exit driveways and alleyways slowly and
carefully.
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Teach children to exit and enter the car on the curbside,
away from traffic.
Falls
On Halloween night, cumbersome costumes and blinding masks
can make walking safely through dark neighborhoods difficult. The following
tips can help prevent fall-related injuries:
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Apply face paint or cosmetics directly to the face. It is
safer than a loose-fitting mask that can obstruct a child's vision.
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If a mask is worn, be certain it fits securely. Cut the
eyeholes large enough for full vision.
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Give trick-or-treaters flashlights.
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Make costumes short enough to avoid tripping.
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Secure hats so they will not slip over children's eyes.
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Dress children in shoes that fit.
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Adult shoes are not safe for trick-or-treaters. The
larger size makes it easier for them to trip and fall.
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Allow children to carry only flexible knives, swords or
other props. Anything they carry could injure them if they fall.
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Teach children not to cut across yards. Lawn ornaments
and clotheslines are “hidden hazards” in the dark. Tell your children to
stay on the sidewalk at all times.
BURNS
Fires and burns are the third leading cause of
unintentional injury-related death among children. On Halloween, the
National SAFE KIDS Campaign recommends the following:
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Look for "flame resistant" labels on costumes, masks,
beards and wigs.
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Use fire resistant material when making costumes.
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Avoid costumes made of flimsy material and outfits with
big, baggy sleeves or billowing skirts. These are more likely to come in
contact with an exposed flame, such as a candle, than tighter fitting
costumes.
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Keep candles, pumpkins with candles, matches and lighters
out of children’s reach.
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