The city of Danville urges citizens to be especially cautious when driving and walking in residential areas on Halloween night, which will be observed on Saturday, Oct. 31.
Sake Kids USA points to statistics that show, on average, children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than any other day of the year.
“Everyone loves a good scare on Halloween, but not when it comes to child safety,” according to Sake Kids USA. “There are several easy and effective behaviors that parents can share with kids to help reduce their risk of injury.”
To assist in making the night a success for the entire family, the Danville Police Department’s crime prevention unit, working with the city’s webmaster, provides online information dedicated to Halloween safety. To access the page, click on the "Halloween safety" link below.
The information includes advice on carving pumpkins, costumes, trick-or-treating and candy. It also gives tips for motorists and homeowners.
Examples of the advice offered include the following:
• Carving safety: Use markers and let young children draw faces on pumpkins with washable markers. Leave the carving to an adult.
• Costume safety: Wear light colored clothing that is short enough to prevent tripping and add reflective tape to the front, back, and sides of the costume.
• Trick-or-treating safety: Stay within the neighborhood you are familiar with, and only visit the homes of people you know.
• Candy safety: Parents or guardians: please examine all candy before allowing children to eat it.
• Motorists: Be aware of children darting out between parked automobiles. Popular trick-or-treating hours are from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., so motorists are urged to be especially alert for kids during these hours.
Links are provided to other websites offering Halloween safety guidance, including advice on keeping your pets safe.
The city observes Halloween each year on Oct. 31, regardless of the day of the week on which it falls.
