I wanted to share with all of you a message I sent to our Parents of Teen Drivers. This message is appropriate for all of us:
Many of you will be celebrating Halloween later this month and I wanted to share some
driving and pedestrian safety tips with you.
For those of you who will be driving your little goblins trick or treating:
- Don’t use a cell phone while driving through neighborhoods. A single distraction could lead to a tragedy.
- Stay well below the posted speed limit.
- Pay attention to what’s happening on sidewalks and roadways. Watch for children darting across streets, especially between parked cars.
- Be extra alert when pulling in and out of driveways.
- Do not assume children can see you or are paying attention. You need to take that responsibility.
- Check to make sure that all lights on your car work.
- Do not pass other vehicles that have stopped in the roadway. They could be dropping off children.
- If you’re driving a group of children, but staying in the running vehicle at the curb, be sure to put on your hazard lights to alert other motorists.
And if you’re driving to a Halloween party, put your mask on after you park the car.
Parents of trick or treaters need to do everything possible to help other drivers too:
- Make sure your children can be seen; dress them in bright, reflective clothing or use reflective tape.
- Give your kids flashlights or glow sticks to carry and a lesson on where to point them.
- Make sure your children can see: select masks that don’t inhibit their vision or use make-up instead of masks.
- Teach your kids how to cross the street: look left, right and left again before crossing
- Teach your kids where to cross the street (corners or crosswalks)
- If possible, park and accompany your kids to make sure they follow these rules.
- If you are waiting in the car for them, decorate your car in some manner that will make it easy to spot.
Have a fun and safe Halloween!
