WASHINGTON, Oct. 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Halloween can be one of the most fun nights of
the year for children across America, but for parents, it can be
the most nerve-wracking as well. On average, twice as many kids are
killed while walking on Halloween
than on any other day of the year. By taking just a few simple
precautions, kids, parents and drivers can make the night fun and
safe.
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Tips for a Happy (and Safe) Halloween
Safe costumes:
1. Decorate costumes and bags
with reflective tape or stickers and, if possible, choose
light colored clothing.
2. Masks can obstruct a child's vision, so choose
non-toxic face paint and make-up whenever possible.
3. Have children carry glow sticks or flashlights so they
can see better, as well as be seen by drivers.
Safe walking:
4. 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.
5. Walk on sidewalks or paths. If there are no sidewalks,
walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible.
6. Put electronic devices down and keep heads up and walk,
don't run, across the street.
7. It's best to cross the street safely at corners. And
always look left, right and left again when crossing and keep
looking as you cross.
Safe driving:
8. Slow down in residential
neighborhoods. Remember that popular trick-or-treating hours are
5:30 to 9:30 p.m.
9. 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.
10. Reduce any distractions inside your car, such as
talking on the phone or eating, so you can concentrate on the road
and your surroundings.
Safe Kids is joining together with
FedEx® to promote safe walking this
Halloween. FedEx volunteers are
teaming up with 167 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, kids are so excited
that they probably aren't thinking about walking safely," said
Kate Carr, president and CEO of Safe
Kids Worldwide. "That's why we're encouraging parents to talk with
their kids before Halloween night
about how to stay safe while walking, and then join them for
trick-or-treating, especially if the kids are 10 and under."
Long before letting them head outside for trick-or-treating,
talk to your kids about watching out for cars. Teach kids to make
eye contact with drivers before crossing the street and use
crosswalks, when possible. Additionally, parents can use glow
sticks, flashlights or reflective trick-or-treat bags to make sure
kids' costumes are visible to drivers.
In 2000, 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
https://www.facebook.com/SafeKidsWorldwide.
About Safe Kids Worldwide
Safe Kids Worldwide is a
nonprofit organization working to prevent childhood injury,
the number one cause of death for children in
the United States. Throughout the
world, almost one million children die of an injury each year, and
almost every one of these tragedies is preventable. Safe Kids works
with an extensive network of more than 400 coalitions in the U.S.
and with partners in more than 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 60 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 $48 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 325,000
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.
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SOURCE Safe Kids Worldwide