Trick-or-Treating Safety Tips

By Paso Robles Press · Wed Oct 30 2019

City Distributes 3,800 Reflective Bags to Local Schools

Halloween is the deadliest day of the year for child pedestrian accidents but by observing a few easy trick-or-treating safety measures, you can keep your children safe.

The number of deaths among pedestrians ages five to fourteen is four times higher between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Halloween than on any other night of the year, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety. Most accidents — 70 percent — happen when children are in the middle of the block, away from an intersection or crosswalk.

This year the City distributed more than 3,800 reflective Trick or Treat bags to local schools. These orange shiny bags, which provide Halloween safety tips, are part of the City’s Vision Zero Initiative to eliminate all traffic-related fatalities and severe injuries.

The City of San Luis Obispo offers the following trick-or-treating safety tips to help ensure that children are safe this Halloween:

• Drive slowly in neighborhoods and use care when passing stopped vehicles. The driver might be dropping off children.
  
• Park your mobile phone. Avoid distractions by waiting until you've parked to use a phone. Never text or surf your apps while driving.
  
• Watch for children darting into the street. Kids can cross the street anywhere, and most young pedestrian deaths happen at spots other than intersections.
  
• Yield to young pedestrians. Children might not stop, either because they don't see your vehicle approaching or don't know how to safely cross the street.
  
• Teach kids how to cross streets safely. They should look both ways, cross only at corners and crosswalks, and always assume that drivers don’t see them.
  
• Consider earlier activities for younger kids when there is still light or activities that take place indoors.
  
• Brighten them up. Give them flashlights and reflective Trick or Treat bags, use reflective tape on their costumes or other creative options, so drivers can see them.
  
• Report dangerous drivers immediately to 911. Don’t hesitate if you see a suspected drunk or otherwise reckless driver.
  

For more information, contact Active Transportation Manager, Adam Fukushima at (805) 781-7590 or afukushima@slocity.org.