Keep Kids Safe & Seen this Halloween
With Halloween right around the corner, child pedestrian safety expert Moira Donahue with Safe Kids USA, is encouraging parents to remind their little ghosts and super heroes to be safe when out trick-or-treating.
Halloween is supposed to be about scares that are fun, not frightening. But statistics show it’s one of the most dangerous days of the year for kids when it comes to walking safely.
To keep Halloween spooky rather than scary, Moira Donahue with Safe Kids USA and FedEx has teamed up to develop safety tips for parents and drivers:
How to keep kids safe:
- Cross streets at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks
- Make eye contact with drivers and watch for cars that are turning or backing up
- Wear face paint and makeup; a mask can restrict a child’s vision
- Wear well-fitting, sturdy shoes that prevent trips and falls
- Only trick-or-treat in well lit and familiar areas
- Carry a flashlight or glow stick to increase visibility to drivers
Driving safely on Halloween:
- Be sure to drive with your full headlights on so you can spot children from greater distances
- Take extra time to actively look for kids at intersections, on medians and on curbs
- Remember that popular trick-or-treating hours are during the typical rush hour period, between 5:30-9:30 PM.
For additional tips, fun safety message e-cards and a Halloween safety checklist go to: http://www.usa.safekids.org/wtw/halloween2008.html
About Moira Donahue, Director, Safe Kids Worldwide:
As Director of Walk This Way Programs for Safe Kids Worldwide, Moira is responsible for the development and implementation of pedestrian safety initiatives. She holds a B.A. from Villanova University (Villanova, PA), a M.Ed. from the University of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA), and in 2005 earned an MBA from Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD). Ms. Donahue is the pedestrian safety expert since joining Safe Kids Worldwide in 2005 and has worked on pedestrian safety programs for children for the past 9 years. She has appeared on numerous local television and radio stations across the country.
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