CLEVELAND – The Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital Injury Prevention Center and Safe Kids Greater Cleveland want to remind parents that October 31 is one of the most dangerous days of the year for child pedestrians. The combination of darkness, costumes that can obscure vision and general excitement can lead to heightened risk for child pedestrians. To keep kids safe, parents should remind them about the rules of the road and ensure that they will be seen by drivers this Halloween.
A study of child pedestrian deaths from 1975 through 1996 by the Centers for Disease Control found that fatalities were four times higher on Halloween evening (4 pm through 10 pm) compared to all other evenings. Thanks to coordinated injury prevention efforts nationwide, heightened public awareness, and the increased use of safety materials like retro reflective tape on bags and costumes, the child pedestrian fatality rate has dropped from the 1970s and 1980s, but a review of national crash data from 2000 through 2005 by researchers at Rainbow still found that the average number of child pedestrian fatalities on Halloween night is three times the average for all other evenings.
“Parents need to remind kids about safety while walking before they go out trick-or-treating,” says Dr. Walter Chwals, Director of the Rainbow Pediatric Trauma Center. “Children should bring flashlights or glow sticks with them, carry reflective bags or have reflective tape on their costumes, and not wear masks that may inhibit their ability to see hazards. Ensuring kids are seen this Halloween is essential to keep this holiday fun for everyone.”
Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital recommends that children under age 12 do not trick-or-treat without adult supervision. If kids are mature enough to go trick-or-treating without supervision, make sure they stick to a predetermined route with good lighting. Parents must also remind kids to:
• Cross streets safely. Cross at a corner, using traffic signals and crosswalks. Try to make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them. Don’t assume that because you can see the driver, the driver can see you. Look left, right and left again when crossing, and keep looking as you cross. 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. Children should walk on direct routes with the fewest street crossings.
• Be a safe pedestrian around cars. Watch for cars that are turning or backing up. Never dart out into the street or cross between parked cars.
Parents also need to keep in mind that there are other hazards for their children on this holiday. Adults should check treats for signs of tampering before children are allowed to eat them. The liquid in glow sticks is also hazardous, so parents should remind children not to chew on or break them. Finally, the experts at Rainbow suggest parents look for non-toxic designations when choosing Halloween makeup.