AAA Chicago Offers Tips for a Safe Halloween

AURORA, Ill., Oct. 29, 2004 -- AAA Chicago urges motorists and trick-or-treating pedestrians to play it safe this Halloween weekend.

The Center for Disease Control estimates that children are four times more likely to be hit and fatally injured by an automobile on Halloween than on any other night of the year. In addition, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that nationally, pedestrian injury is the second leading cause of unintentional, injury-related deaths among children ages 5- 14. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of child deaths due to injuries.

"Halloween is a thrilling time of year for children, but it's also a time when motorists and parents of trick-or-treaters must be especially cautious and alert," says Kris Lathan, AAA Chicago spokeswoman. "This is the one day of the year when thousands of communities are brimming with children who are on foot canvassing for candy. So, safety is of utmost importance."

Motorists are urged to travel slowly through neighborhoods, maintaining a rate of speed at least five mph below posted speed limits. This should give enough time to brake for overly excited children who are apt to dart across streets and cross sections.

Heightened attention to safety in general has resulted in more families opting to attend Halloween events rather than engaging in door-to-door trick- or-treating. Private parties and/or mall-based activities are two safe, popular alternatives. But for those who plan to celebrate Halloween in traditional outdoor fashion, AAA Chicago recommends the following precautions for trick-or-treating and costuming:

   -- Take advantage of daylight hours. Daylight savings time ends on
      Halloween this year, so skies will darken an hour earlier. Leave
      enough time to get in before dark.
   -- Plan your route in advance, including only the neighborhoods that you
      know.
   -- Always have an adult or responsible older child accompany children
      under 12, and require unaccompanied, older children of 12 and over to
      travel in groups and follow a strict curfew.
   -- Stay on sidewalks -- don't cut across yards or driveways-and look both
      ways before crossing streets and alleyways, obeying all traffic
      signals at corners and intersections.
   -- If out after dark, parents and children should carry a flashlight and
      wear reflective, light-colored clothing. One solution is to trim
      costumes with reflective tape.
   -- Purchase costumes and accessories that fit. Clothing should be short
      enough to prevent falling and tripping, and make-up is always the
      preferred alternative to masks, which can restrict and limit one's
      range of vision.

For more on Halloween safety and AAA news, please visit AAA Chicago on the Web at http://www.aaa.com/ .

AAA Chicago is a not-for-profit, tax-paying membership organization serving more than 800,000 members and the general public in Illinois and northern Indiana. AAA Chicago provides automotive, insurance, travel and financial services and is a member of the Auto Club Group (ACG). ACG is the largest affiliation of AAA clubs in the Midwest, with 4.1 million members in eight states. ACG clubs belong to the national AAA federation, a not-for- profit organization, with more than 45 million members in the United States and Canada.