WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

For parents, here’s the scariest part about Halloween—and how to make it safer

This Halloween, don’t worry about evil clowns or zombies. Think about traffic.

Trick-or-treat night is the most dangerous day of the year for kids, with an average of 5.5 deaths per year.

An estimated 41 million kids (aged 5 to 14) will head out for candy in America, and all those children mixed with all those cars can be dangerous.

Here’s what we know from a study of pedestrian fatalities: the most dangerous hour is twilight, about 6 to 7 p.m., because that’s when drivers have the hardest time spotting kids in the street.

A few practical safety tips for a safe Halloween:

  • Be visible: costumes should include reflectors and bright colors, and should not obstruct vision or movement. Make sure little Joey can actually see out of that Darth Vader mask.
  • Use flashlights and glow sticks
  • Grown-ups should go with kids under 12, and kids over 12 should go in groups
  • Cross streets at corners, using crosswalks and signals, resisting the temptation to bolt across the road to that cool house with the zombies
  • Do the usual left-right-left check when crossing a road, and make eye contact with drivers to make sure they see you in that all-black ninja outfit
  • Be especially careful with cars backing out of driveways

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