With treats on their minds, tens of thousands of Manitoba youngsters will head out into their neighbourhoods on Halloween. With this increased activity comes an increased danger for both pedestrians and motorists.
Safety tips for a happy Halloween:
For trick-or-treaters:
- Don’t run out onto roadways.
- Always look both ways and cross at corners or intersections.
- Wear reflective clothing to make yourself more visible to motorists.
- Walk facing traffic when there is no sidewalk.
For motorists:
- Don’t speed ─ motorists should slow down when they see children walking.
- Don’t assume children see your vehicle. They are excited and could run out in front of you.
- Watch for children who may dart between parked vehicles. Be prepared to stop.
In efforts to increase pedestrians’ visibility for motorists, Manitoba Public Insurance recently distributed 117,000 reflective bags to 568 schools for students in kindergarten to Grade 6. Included in the bag was a letter which provided several important safety messages for parents and legal guardians as to how keep their ghouls and goblins safe while collecting their treats.
“These bags are highly visible at night. At the end of the evening, it’s our hope that the bags will be full of treats and more importantly, that every child returns home safely,” said Ward Keith, vice-president, Business Development & Communications and CAO, Manitoba Public Insurance.
“Reducing fatalities and injuries, especially on high-traffic nights like Halloween, remains a priority of Manitoba’s public auto insurer but we all have a role to play.”