Halloween is one of the most popular holidays of the year for both adults and children alike. However, it’s important that you make sure that your Halloween celebration is safe, especially if you have children.
If your children are trick-or-treating, sit down with them and make sure that they understand how to walk the neighborhood safely. Even if you plan on accompanying them, or if another adult is going to be with them, they should know the basic safety rules. Here are some walking safety tips from Big Splash Car Wash to help assure a safe and happy Halloween!
Never jaywalk
Even though the neighborhood may be full of children and their parents on Halloween evening, there’s still going to be traffic, possibly much heavier traffic than normal even. Cars may not see children that run out into the middle of the road – especially if they are emerging from between parked cars. Both children and adults should only cross at intersections where there are traffic signals and crosswalks.
Look before crossing
Even if you’ve got a walking light or have the right of way, you should always check for oncoming traffic. Teach your children to look left, right and left again before they cross the street at an intersection. Practice doing this when you’re walking around the neighborhood with your kids before Halloween comes so they can get into the habit of doing this.
Look at drivers before crossing
Distracted drivers are often looking down at a phone and will begin to pull away from a stop light before looking up. If there’s a car sitting at an intersection that you’re walking across, make sure that you make eye contact with the driver. By doing so, you’ll ensure that the driver has seen you and won’t accidentally drive through the intersection while you or the kids are walking through it.
Put the phone away
If your kids have phones, make sure that they aren’t using them while they are walking around the neighborhood. Teach them to only use their phones when they are standing still and on the sidewalk – if at all! They should never try to cross a street while looking down at their phones. In fact, even looking down at their phones can be dangerous if they’re trying to walk on the sidewalk at the same time.
Always walk on the sidewalk
Even if the street is empty and there are other people walking on the street, stick to the sidewalks. If there are no sidewalks, make sure that you face traffic when you are walking on the street so that you can see oncoming cars.
Watch out for cars that are turning or backing up
This is another reason why you should never be on your phone while walking. Someone may try to turn into a driveway or back out of it while you’re crossing. Always keep an eye out for cars coming into or out of driveways, which means you should have your eyes up so you can pay attention to your surroundings while walking.
Halloween can be one of the most fun nights of the year for you and your kids. Big Splash Car Wash wants to make sure that everyone knows how to trick or treat safely. These tips apply to all ages, whether they are old enough to be on their own or with another parent and should be discussed ahead of time with a trusted adult. Big Splash Car Wash wishes you a happy and safe Halloween!