HALLOWEEN: When parents send their little ghouls and goblins out for treats, using a little caution may keep everyone’s Halloween from turning into a truly terrifying affair.
To help keep everyone safe, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation sent out a little advice for families.
“Halloween is a fun time for families. Unfortunately, it can also be a dangerous time for pedestrians,” said Bill Petit, PennDOT’s Engineering District 1 executive. “Parents should talk with their children about safety guidelines and rules before heading out to trick-or-treat.”
So, sit your trick-or-treaters down and spend a few serious minutes reminding them of the rules of being a pedestrian before releasing them out into the streets for their Halloween fun — even if you are planning to go out with them.
According to PennDOT, “Halloween is one of the top days for pedestrian injuries and fatalities.” In fact, the rate of traffic fatalities involving a pedestrian more than doubles on the day, the agency indicated, referring to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
There were 28 crashes involving pedestrians over Halloween weekend in 2015 in Pennsylvania, PennDOT stated. Also, just over half of Halloween night fatalities in 2015 — between 6 p.m. Oct. 31 and 5:59 a.m. Nov. 1 — involved a motorist who was had a blood alcohol concentration above the legal limit.
PennDOT offers these safety tips:
• Always cross the street at a corner and look left, right, and left again.
• Obey traffic signals while crossing streets. Never try to beat the light.
• Never walk out between parked cars.
• Carry a flashlight and/or wear reflective tape.
• Lift masks while walking house to house and don’t cut across yards or driveways.
• Always trick-or-treat in groups.
To monitor drivers, there is a statewide operation running through Halloween night by state and local police, using sobriety checkpoints and DUI patrols to encourage safer driving.
If you’re a motorist, pay extra attention for excited children who maybe aren’t paying attention to you. For the most part, trick-or-treaters across our area will be out sometime between 5:30 and 8 p.m. — encompassing the dusk hours when it is hardest to see.
