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.
"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