LatinaLista — Halloween is only 11 days away and as any kid knows it’s much more than just dressing up in costume — it’s all about the trick-or-treating!
Unfortunately, it’s reported that Halloween is a deadly time for trick-or-treaters. Twice as many child pedestrians are killed from 4-10 p.m. while walking on Halloween compared to other days of the year.
Yet only 35 percent of parents have the Halloween safety talk every year before everyone stampedes out the door even though 73 percent of parents let their children go trick-or-treating, according to a new study billed as the “first-of-its-kind” research on Halloween safety.
Commissioned by Safe Kids Worldwide, a global network of organizations dedicated to preventing unintentional injury to children, the study Halloween Safety: A National Survey of Parents’ Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviors surveyed parents to find out how they and their kids celebrate Halloween and prepare for it.
According to the study, some good and bad findings were discovered:
75 percent of parents have never let their child trick-or-treat unsupervised without a parent or other adult.
However, 12 percent of parents report that their child ages 5 years or younger is permitted to trick-or-treat without adult supervision.
75 percent of parents pick costumes with safety in mind.
Yet, 40 percent allow allow one or more unsafe items to be used by their child, including a mask (24%), long, baggy or loose clothing (20%), and/or a sword, cane, stick or other sharp object (8%).
Since the goal of the report is to heighten awareness about Halloween safety, the report’s sponsors provide their recommendations for both parents and drivers on how to keep more children safe during trick-or-treating. Some of the recommendations include:
Adults should accompany children under 12 while trick-or-treating.
Don’t let children run across streets.
Decorate costumes and bags with reflective tape or stickers and choose light colored costumes to improve visibility.
Check treats for signs of tampering before children are allowed to eat them. Candy should be thrown away if the wrapper is faded or torn, or if the candy is unwrapped.
Drivers should slow down and be especially alert in residential neighborhoods. Children are excited on Halloween and may move in unpredictable ways.
Drivers should anticipate heavy pedestrian traffic and turn your headlights on earlier in the day so you can spot children from greater distances.
