Halloween is this upcoming Sunday, which means kids will be out and about trick or treating that night. Safe Kids of Grand Forks wants to remind parents and children to trick or treat safely this Halloween.
According to Safe Kids, children are twice as likely to be injured in a pedestrian accident on Halloween than any other day of the year. Carma Hanson is the Coordinator for Safe Kids in Grand Forks, and she provided a few things to keep in mind while trick or treating. “We always say be safe and be seen on Halloween,” said Hanson. “What we’re looking for people to do is make sure that their child has a lot of visibility and that their child isn’t in an all-dark costume. Maybe even reflective tape or something to hang off the back of their costume to make them more visible.”
Hanson also said trick-or-treaters should find neighborhoods with good lighting. “The other thing would be to make sure you find good lighting,” said Hanson. “A street corner with lighting will be a safer place for children to cross, and cars are going to be more likely to look for someone crossing the street at those places. Kids can’t assume they can be seen and should make sure that they are looking in both directions and make eye contact with the driver before crossing the street.”
According to Hanson, safety items that can help keep trick or treaters safe this Halloween will be given out by Safe Kids of Grand Forks to anyone interested. “We do have reflective zipper pulls that trick or treaters could put on their coats or bags, and we also have some trick or treat bags that are much more visible than the traditional ones,” said Hanson. “You can contact our office at 701-780-1489 or email us at Safekids@altru.org, and we’d be happy to provide those items free of charge for anyone interested.”
Other safety reminders and ideas include potentially going to an event rather than trick or treating up and down streets, staying in smaller areas while trick or treating, and using face paint rather than masks to help with kids’ visibility and eyesight. If parents are driving from house to house, they are encouraged to make sure their children remain buckled up while the car is moving and exit the vehicle on the grass or curbside and not in the middle of the street.
Hanson said if you choose to trick or treat this Halloween, make sure you don’t stay out too late and that parents have guidelines to keep their children safe. “I think you want to have some guidelines for kids. They may know how they’re supposed to cross the street, but sometimes their minds can’t calculate if there is enough time to do it when there is oncoming traffic,” said Hanson. “Kids are excited and eager on Halloween to get to the next house as quickly as possible. So having parents with children if possible and having guidelines in place for the older children who are on their own will help keep them safe.”
Hanson also wants to remind drivers that as temperatures begin to drop, road conditions may not be as safe, and to be mindful that regardless of who has the right of way, when a car and child meet, the car is going to win every time. More information and events during Halloween can be found on the Safe Kids of Grand Forks website at safekidsgf.com/.
