Halloween Night Should Be Fun, Not Dangerous for Children

Children are twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than on any other day

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Oct 29, 2014, 08:00 ET

WASHINGTON, Oct. 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- On average, twice as many kids are killed while walking on Halloween than on any other day of the year. But a few simple precautions for kids and drivers can make the night fun and safe.

Safe Kids has joined together with FedEx® to promote pedestrian safety this Halloween. FedEx volunteers are teaming up with 159 local Safe Kids coalitions in towns and cities across the United States to provide reflective materials and safe walking information to parents and children.

We want Halloween to be scary for all the right reasons. That’s why it’s so important for all our little monsters to wear reflective clothing or carry a flashlight, glow stick, or reflective bag. But don’t take it from us, here’s a group of funky dancing kids who show us it’s fun to be seen on Halloween.

"On Halloween, more children are on the street after dark than normal, and they are so excited that they may run out into the street without looking," said Kate Carr, president and CEO of Safe Kids Worldwide. "We're asking drivers to take extra care and slow down on neighborhood roads. And, of course, it's very important that drivers put down mobile devices to avoid distraction."

Parents can use glow sticks or reflective trick-or-treat bags to make sure their kids' costumes are visible to drivers while still being fun. And talk to your kids about watching out for cars. Kids should make eye contact with drivers before crossing the street and always try to use crosswalks, when possible.

Here are the top tips from Safe Kids and FedEx to keep kids safe on Halloween.

Top safety tips for kids:

Costumes can be both creative and safe. The most important thing is to make sure you can be seen by drivers. Decorate costumes and bags with reflective tape or stickers and, if possible, choose light colors. Masks can obstruct your vision, so choose non-toxic face paint and make-up whenever possible. Carry glow sticks or flashlights so you can see better, as well as be seen by drivers.
Cross the street safely at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks. 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.
Walk on sidewalks or paths. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible.
Slow down and stay alert. Watch out for cars that are turning or backing up and don't dart out into the street or cross in between parked cars.

Top safety tips for drivers:

Slow down in residential neighborhoods. Remember that popular trick-or-treating hours are 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Be especially alert and take extra time to look for kids at intersections, on medians and on curbs. Children are excited on Halloween and may move in unpredictable ways.
Reduce any distractions inside your car, such as talking on the phone or eating, so you can concentrate on the road and your surroundings.

In 1999, Safe Kids Worldwide and program sponsor FedEx launched the Walk This Way Program in the United States to educate motorists and child pedestrians and create safer, more walkable communities. Safe Kids and FedEx address the issue through research, physical improvements to school zones, and education and awareness campaigns throughout the year.

For more tips on how to help kids become safer pedestrians on Halloween, and throughout the year, visit www.safekids.org and visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/safekidsworldwide.

About Safe Kids Worldwide
Safe Kids Worldwide is a global network of organizations dedicated to providing parents and caregivers with practical and proven resources to protect kids from unintentional injuries, the number one cause of death to children in the United States. Throughout the world, almost one million children die of an injury each year, and every one of these tragedies is preventable. Safe Kids works with an extensive network of more than 500 coalitions in the United States and with partners in 25 countries to reduce traffic injuries, drownings, falls, burns, poisonings and more. Since 1988, Safe Kids has helped reduce the U.S. childhood death rate from unintentional injury by 56 percent. Working together, we can do much more for kids everywhere. Join our effort at safekids.org.

About FedEx
FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services. With annual revenues of $46 billion, the company offers integrated business applications through operating companies competing collectively and managed collaboratively, under the respected FedEx brand. Consistently ranked among the world's most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than 300,000 team members to remain "absolutely, positively" focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities. For more information, visit news.fedex.com.

Video - http://youtu.be/8tCUBGu2irE
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140313/MM82167-a

SOURCE Safe Kids Worldwide