Be Safe When Trick-or-Treating On Halloween
October 27, 2006, DENVER--The excitement of
trick-or-treating for 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 Colorado SAFE
KIDS based at the Colorado Department of Public Health and
Environment, said, “Parents should discuss important safety
precautions with their children to avoid unintentional
injuries on Halloween.”
Bailey said that children are four times more likely to
die as pedestrians on Halloween than any other night of the
year.
“On Halloween, we see an increase 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:
- Adults should accompany children under age 12 on their
trick-or-treat rounds.
- 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:
- Teach children their home phone numbers.
- Make certain children have change for a phone call
or send a family cell phone along with them in case they
have a problem away from home.
All ages:
- Instruct children to travel only in familiar
areas and along a pre-established route.
- Instruct children never to enter a home or an
apartment building unless accompanied by an adult.
- Set a time for children to return home.
- Restrict trick-or-treating visits to homes with
porch or outside lights illuminated.
- 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.
- 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
- Decorate costumes, bags and sacks with
retroreflective tape and stickers.
- Use costumes that are light or bright enough
to make children more visible at night.
Traffic
- Teach children to walk, not run, while
trick-or-treating.
- Remind children to stop at all street
corners before crossing. Tell them to cross
streets only at intersections and
crosswalks.
- Teach them to look left, right and left
again before crossing the street and to
continue looking both ways as they cross.
- Teach them never to dart out into a
street or cross between parked cars.
- Never let children under age 12 go
trick-or-treating or cross the street
without adult supervision.
Motorists
- Slow down in residential
neighborhoods.
- Obey all traffic signs and signals.
- Watch for children walking in the
street or on medians and curbs.
- Enter and exit driveways and
alleyways slowly and carefully.
- 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:
- Apply face paint or cosmetics
directly to the face. It is safer
than a loose-fitting mask that can
obstruct a child's vision.
- If a mask is worn, be certain it
fits securely. Cut the eyeholes
large enough for full vision.
- Give trick-or-treaters
flashlights.
- Make costumes short enough to
avoid tripping.
- Secure hats so they will not
slip over children's eyes.
- Dress children in shoes that
fit.
- Adult shoes are not safe for
trick-or-treaters. The larger size
makes it easier for them to trip and
fall.
- Allow children to carry only
flexible knives, swords or other
props.
- Anything they carry could injure
them if they fall.
- 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:
- Look for "flame resistant"
labels on costumes, masks,
beards and wigs.
- Use fire resistant material
when making costumes.
- 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.
- Keep candles, pumpkins with
candles, matches and lighters
out of children’s reach.
For a Halloween safety
checklist, call Bailey at
303-692-2589. ---30--- |
