Pedestrian safety is vital for your trick-or-treater

As a kid, I dressed up for Halloween only once. I loved zombies and I loved cowboys, so I was a zombie/cowboy when I was 6 years old.

The whole concept was a wash, however, when my mom forced me to wear white sneakers and shiny stickers all over my tattered clothing. I guess zombie cowboys aren’t known for being stealthy.

But at least I was safe. It’s Halloween, and it’s important for all parents to be mindful of pedestrian safety.

A report, released last week by Safe Kids Worldwide, polled 935 parents nationwide in September. Nine out of 10 parents say their children participate in Halloween activities. About 73 percent of them go trick-or-treating door to door.

A surprising statistic is that about 12 percent of parents allow children 5 years or younger to go trick-or-treating without adult supervision.

It’s particularly important for Hawaii children to heed pedestrian safety tips. In 2008, eight pedestrian fatalities, about 38 percent of them, occurred between 5 and 10 p.m, according to state statistics.

Nationwide, twice as many child pedestrians are killed while walking on Halloween compared with any other day of the year.

A frightening statistic, to be sure, but Maj. Kurt Kendro of the Honolulu Police Department’s Traffic Division assures me that Oahu doesn’t see any marked increase in pedestrian accidents for the holiday.

"We ask drivers to be especially cognizant of their surroundings," Kendro says. "We ask parents taking their children out to be even more careful. Absolutely wear reflective clothing, stickers, carry flashlights and be seen."

Mayor Peter Carlisle proclaimed this Monday as Halloween Pedestrian Safety Day, and the city Department of Transportation Services launched its annual "Be safe, be seen" campaign.

About 65,000 retro-reflective stickers were given out to public school students from kindergarten to fifth grade. The stickers are also available at satellite city halls.

"It’s a testament to this campaign that we don’t see an increase in our accidents on Halloween," says Transportation Services Director Wayne Yoshioka.

I would be remiss if I didn’t list more safety tips, courtesy of Safe Kids:

» Children 12 and under should trick-or-treat with an adult.

» Always walk on sidewalks or paths. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible.

» Cross the street at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks.

» And drivers, remember that costumes might limit a child’s visibility, so don’t assume they can see your car. Anticipate heavy pedestrian traffic and turn your headlights on early.

Reach Gene Park at gpark@staradvertiser.com, or Twitter as @GenePark.