Car Accident Attorneys in Belton, MO Talk about Halloween Scares Parents

Halloween is right around the corner and our little ones are already jumping with joy. As they think about their costumes, the candy, scary movies and where they're going to trick-of-treat, we can assume that safety is nowhere on their minds. On October 31st, we typically see an increase in the risks for a child pedestrian accident in Belton, MO and elsewhere through Missouri. Parents are urged to talk with their young trick-or-treaters about safe pedestrian habits before heading out for haunted houses and candy this year.

Our Belton, MO car accident attorneys would also like to ask motorists to be extra careful on our roadways on the 31st. It's best not to drive during this time because kids across the city will be out gathering sugary goods from house to house. If you must drive, be extra careful in residential neighborhoods and keep an eye out for little ghosts and goblins.

There were nearly 4,500 pedestrians killed in traffic-related accidents in the U.S. in 2008. Another 69,000 pedestrians were injured throughout the same year. Estimates conclude that a pedestrian dies because of one of these accidents every 2 hours and a pedestrian was injured every 8 minutes. About a fifth of all children who died in 2008 were between the ages of 5 and 9 and were killed in a traffic-pedestrian accident, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Child pedestrian tips for parents to share with young ones before trick-of-treating, from Safe Kids USA:

• Make sure children cross the street at a traffic signal, using a crosswalk or at the corner of a road.
• Make eye contact with drivers before attempting to cross the road. Never assume that a driver sees you.
• Make sure to keeping looking left and right before and during your walk across a street.
• Always use a sidewalk or a path. If the area you're walking along has no sidewalks, make sure to walk as far from the road as possible and walk facing traffic.
• Keep an eye out for cars that may be reversing. Vehicles that are backing up have an extremely difficult time seeing small children.
• Always hold a child's hand in a parking lot.
• Children under the age of 10 should never cross the street without an adult.
• Make sure your child knows that safest route to their destination that has the fewest street crossings.
• Make sure that children cross at least 5 feet in front of stopped cars.
• Make sure your child knows to never run out into a street.
• Make sure your child's Halloween costume is visible to motorists.

Tips for having a safe trick-or-treating adventure:

• Make sure that all costume accessories, including knives and swords, and flexible and soft.
• Never trick-or-treat alone.
• Take a look at your child's candy to ensure that none of it has been opened or has been tampered with.
• Make sure to test costume makeup before applying it to make sure that it doesn't irritate your child's skin.
• Make sure your child wears comfortable shoes.
• Only consume factory-wrapped candy.