Halloween is a fantastic occasion to walk about our city and meet our neighbors. While we embrace the Halloween spirit by adorning our favorite ghoulish attire, it’s important to remember that the chance of a child being hit by a car on Halloween is nearly double that of any other night of the year. But Halloween does not have to be that frightening. In fact, Halloween presents us with a great opportunity to practice being safe pedestrians. Here are some tips to help you stay safe Monday night:
- The sun will set at 5:54 PM tomorrow evening. If you plan on trick or treating after dusk, be sure that all children carry a glow stick or flashlight and wear reflective clothing.
- Don’t go trick or treating alone. Adults should accompany young children and escort them to the door of every house they approach.
- Walk, don’t run, and stay on the sidewalks.
- Cross the street only at intersections.
- Stop at the curb. Look left, right, left, and over your shoulder for traffic and continue to look for traffic as you cross the street.
- Stop and look around parked cars or other objects that block the view of traffic before you start to cross the street.
- Make eye contact with drivers to make sure they see you.
For more Halloween safety tips, visit the Seattle Police Department’s Halloween safety page. And for information on how you can be a safe pedestrian every day, go to Seattle-King County Public Health’s Pedestrian Safety Page.