Texas Driver Safety and Training

Halloween can be a fun time for all --- people who stay at home will get cute monsters knocking at the door, while trick-or-treaters rack up buckets and buckets of sweets, to be consumed and be tired of by the end of the week.

Obviously, the trick-or-treat tradition happens in the evening, and thinking about children crossing streets at night may be too much for some parents. Here are a couple of tips for both people who will be driving around during Halloween and for trick-or-treaters.

For parents of trick-or-treaters:

• Be part of the planning process --- map out routes and the time the children should be expected at home.


• Make sure that children under 12 are accompanied by a parent, an older youth, or an adult.
  
• Things a trick-or-treater should bring: a mobile phone, flashlight, something to identify the child with address, should he/she get separated from the group.
  
• Tell children to only approach houses with lights on them.
  
• Stick a piece of reflective tape or iron-on reflective fabric on prominent places of the children's costume, to make them easily visible in the dark.
  
• Make sure that children can see well, even through their costume. If they can, opt for decorative makeup instead of masks that may hinder vision.
  
• Review traffic safety and pedestrian safety precautions.
  

For drivers on Halloween:

• Sure there'll be parties --- have a designated driver! One that doesn't get startled by monsters walking about in the streets.


• For most residential neighborhoods, the speed limit is 25 mph, it would be better to drive slower than this.


• There's no predicting what sugar-driven children will do, be extra careful as children may cross the streets without warning.


• Obey all traffic signs, signals and markings.


• When driving trick-or-treaters, remember to have them sit on child-appropriate safety seats.

Halloween is always a fun part of the year for kids, and as responsible adults, it’s up to us to see that safety is always involved.

Labels: defensive driving, driver safety