Be safe and seen this Halloween!

On average, children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than on any other day of the year.

Be safe, be seen

If you are going trick-or-treating, wear some sort of reflective material. You can use reflective tape, glow sticks or carry a flashlight. 

• Cross the street 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.
• Teach children to make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them.
• Always walk on sidewalks or paths. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible. Children should walk on direct routes with the fewest street crossings.
• Watch for cars that are turning or backing up. Teach children to never dart out into the street or cross between parked cars.

Kids under the age of 12 should not be out on Halloween night without an adult.

Adults have a part to play in making Halloween a safe and fun holiday for everyone. Here are some driving safety tips to keep in mind if you are going to be traveling on Halloween night.

• Slow down and be especially alert in residential neighborhoods. Children are excited on Halloween and may move in unpredictable ways.
• Take extra time to look for kids at intersections, on medians and on curbs.
• Enter and exit driveways and alleys slowly and carefully.
• Eliminate any distractions inside your car so you can concentrate on the road and your surroundings.
• Drive slowly, anticipate heavy pedestrian traffic and turn your headlights on earlier in the day to spot children from greater distances.
• Popular trick-or-treating hours are 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. so be especially alert for kids during those hours.

For more safety information, visit www.safekids.org. From all of us at Le Bonheur, we wish you a happy Halloween!