Halloween Street Safety
Keep your community and loved ones safe this Halloween with these quick street safety tips.
It’s the time of year when ghosts, super-heroes and witches appear in communities across Canada for a festive night of trick-or-treating! With tons of little ghouls and goblins running from door to door, it’s more important than ever to be mindful of road traffic. Street safety can sometimes be a scary subject to discuss with your children, but this Halloween there’s no need to be spooked. Follow these quick tips to help prepare your family for a safe and fun Halloween.
1. Pick a safe costume
Most of the priority when it comes to a costume is around the obvious factors: awesomeness, comfort, warmth, and ability to maximize speed from one house to the next. A few things often go overlooked and are in fact some of the most important considerations. When picking a Halloween costume, be sure to remember the following:
- Check if the material is flame resistant
- Pick a light-coloured costume, or attach reflective strips
- Ensure it is short enough to avoid trips and falls
- Make sure masks allow children to see clearly, or use face paint instead
- Add a light – whether a flashing light or a handheld flashlight
2. Follow some basic trick-or-treating safety tips
With all the excitement of candy collection, it’s easy to want to dash across streets and from door to door. As a trick-or-treater, remember the below quick safety tips to make your experience safe and fun:
- Follow a U-route by tackling all the homes on one side of the street before crossing over to the next side
- When crossing the street, use dedicated crosswalks or intersections
- Look both ways before crossing, and look for any approaching vehicles
- Where possible, travel in groups and keep a close eye on one another
- Walk down sidewalks, where possible, and avoid running toward or near the street
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3. Take the 30 km/h driving challenge
Halloween safety doesn’t just apply to trick-or-treaters. As a driver in a residential community, it’s important to be cautious and aware of potential witches and wizards roaming the streets. The speed limit in most residential areas in Ontario is 40 km/h. A 2013 study in Toronto showed a significant decrease in pedestrian deaths when speeds were decreased from 40 km/h to 30 km/h – from 12 pedestrians deaths to 0! This Halloween, we challenge you to take the 30 km/h challenge. Be a role model in your community and join the movement by tweeting your support using #30kmhchallenge #OnliaCA.
Do you have any Halloween street safety tips we may have missed? Join the conversation and tweet us your safety tricks (or treats) @OnliaCA #OnliaCA.
Happy Halloween!
Team Onlia
