Halloween is one of the most fun holidays for rural kids, but it’s also one of the most dangerous.
According to the childhood safety research group Safe Kids Worldwide, twice as many pedestrian children are hit by passing cars on Halloween than on any other day.
And, as The Rural Blog notes, rural areas often lack sidewalks or adequate street lights, and that can make trick-or-treating a dicey—and even deadly—activity.
Here are some tips to keep your kids safe this Halloween: First, make sure they’re visible. Have them carry glow sticks or flashlights, and make them wear reflective tape or light colors. Also, make sure children aren’t wearing masks that block their vision. And make sure their feet aren’t tangled in loose clothes, to prevent them tripping and falling into the street. Finally, make sure they don’t jaywalk. And if there are no sidewalks, children should walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible.
