Halloween Safety Tips

It's spooky season! If your little ones are out gathering goodies this weekend, here are some safety tips to keep in mind:

Drivers:

• Turn on your headlights to improve visibility - Even in the day time.
• Watch for trick-or-treaters on curbs, streets and medians. They could be wearing darker costumes so keep your eyes peeled.
• Slow down in residential areas.  Give yourself extra time to react should a trick-or-treater dash into the road.
• Be sure to scan both sides of the street as you drive. Be prepared  to stop for trick-or-treaters.

Trick or Treaters:

 If you are young at heart and will be taking to the streets to collect some goodies, there are a few things you need to know:

• Let your parents or guardians know where you will be going. Create a route and stick to it. 
• Follow safety rules, and look both ways before crossing the streets. Don’t cross between vehicles.
• Trick or treat in a group. It can be more entertaining and safer. Younger children should be with a responsible adult or youth.
• Be bright at night - ensure that that your costume can be seen by drivers. Enhance your costumes with reflective tape or glow sticks.
• You should be able to see without difficulty. Don’t wear bulky masks or head gear. Consider using non-toxic face make up or paint.
• Carry a flashlight inside your Halloween bucket or bag so you can see where you are going. DON’T shine it into the eyes of drivers.
• Stay on sidewalks - if you must walk in the street, walk on the left side, facing traffic.

We hope you have a happy Halloween! 

Frightening Fiction: Distracted Nightmares

By Mallory Goeke
Communications Specialist
KDOT HQ

On Halloween night, the glow of a smartphone shone through the window of a fiery red sedan as it raced down the highway. The mindless chatter of friends as they listen to their favorite band and play air guitar in unison filled the car’s cabin.  

“I love this song!” Melissa screamed over the music while she sent a quick text and slid her phone back in her pocket and returned her hands to the wheel. The teenager was relishing in her newfound freedom.  Just days before she had received her first car, along with permission to drive it to the big Halloween party at school. Melissa’s outfit was what she wore every Friday, a cheerleading outfit, but her make up was smeared and her hair was tousled. She was a zombie-fighting cheerleader. She couldn’t wait to show off her new look, even if it meant texting while driving. 

“I can’t believe you just did that!” Her best friend, Lidia laughed. “If I did that, my parents would take my keys and phone away for sure.” Lidia’s costume of choice was an art student who used her tools to fight the aforementioned zombies.

“That’s because your parents worry too much,” Kyle leaned forward from the back seat and turned up the music even louder. “Melissa totally knows what she is doing.” Kyle was dressed up as one of the zombies the dynamic duo would have been fighting.

“Yah, see? I’m paying attention now. No harm done.” Melissa replied, but then reached down and picked up her phone again when she felt the familiar buzz. “I just need to post that I’m driving in my new car real quick! Lidia, take the wheel.”

Lidia bit her lip nervously, this sounded like a really bad idea, but what could she say? Her friends would totally make fun of her. She reached over and held the steering wheel while Melissa snapped a selfie.

Suddenly, a shadowy figure with glowing eyes leapt onto the road in front of them. Lidia screamed and turn the wheel sharply. Melissa jumped and stomped her foot on the brakes while her phone flew into the backseat. Kyle’s forehead stopped the phone from flying out the windows. He gasped in pain and held his hand over his eyes.

The passenger side tires hit loose gravel and the car slid down the ditch and launched into the air.

Melissa remembers rolling five times. Lidia lost count and Kyle hardly remembered anything from that night.

While they may have survived the crash, they didn’t make it to their Halloween party. Melissa never used her phone while driving again. Lidia learned to speak up for herself, and Kyle learned to keep his mouth shut and listen to reason.

While this story may be a work of fiction, the scary part is that scenario can happen every single day.

No one should be driving distracted, anything can happen. Are you willing to take the risk?

Don’t drive scary.

The End.

Trick or treat: Safety tips for all the ghouls and monsters

Tomorrow, trick-or-treaters across the country will take to the streets to collect the sugary sweets Here are some safety tips to help everyone have a frightfully good time and stay safe.

Drivers:

• Turn on your headlights to improve visibility - Even in the day time.
• Watch for trick-or-treaters on curbs, streets and medians. They could be wearing darker costumes so keep your eyes peeled.
• Slow down in residential areas.  Give yourself extra time to react should a trick-or-treater dash into the road.
• Be sure to scan both sides of the street as you drive. Be prepared  to stop for trick-or-treaters.

Trick or Treaters:

 If you are young at heart and will be taking to the streets to collect some goodies, there are a few things you need to know:

• Let your parents or guardians know where you will be going. Create a route and stick to it. 
• Follow safety rules, and look both ways before crossing the streets. Don’t cross between vehicles.
• Trick or treat in a group. It can be more entertaining and safer. Younger children should be with a responsible adult or youth.
• Be bright at night - ensure that that your costume can be seen by drivers. Enhance your costumes with reflective tape or glow sticks.
• You should be able to see without difficulty. Don’t wear bulky masks or head gear. Consider using non-toxic face make up or paint.
• Carry a flashlight inside your Halloween bucket or bag so you can see where you are going. DON’T shine it into the eyes of drivers.
• Stay on sidewalks - if you must walk in the street, walk on the left side, facing traffic.

We hope you have a happy Halloween! 

Halloween safety tips

Tomorrow, candy will flow and trick-or-treaters across the country will take to the streets to collect the sugary goodness. Here are some safety tips to ensure everyone has a frightfully good time.

Drivers:

• Turn on your headlights to improve visibility - Even in the day time.
• Watch for trick-or-treaters on curbs, streets and medians. They could be wearing darker costumes so keep your eyes peeled.
• Slow down in residential areas.  Give yourself extra time to react should a trick-or-treater dash into the road.
• Be sure to scan both sides of the street as you drive. Be prepared  to stop for trick-or-treaters.

Trick or Treaters:

 If you are young at heart and will be taking to the streets to collect some goodies, there are a few things you need to know:

• Let your parents or guardians know where you will be going. Create a route and stick to it. 
• Follow safety rules, and look both ways before crossing the streets. Don’t cross between vehicles.
• Trick or treat in a group. It can be more entertaining and safer. Younger children should be with a responsible adult or youth.
• Be bright at night - ensure that that your costume can be seen by drivers. Enhance your costumes with reflective tape or glow sticks.
• You should be able to see without difficulty. Don’t wear bulky masks or head gear. Consider using non-toxic face make up or paint.
• Carry a flashlight inside your Halloween bucket or bag so you can see where you are going. DON’T shine it into the eyes of drivers.
• Stay on sidewalks - if you must walk in the street, walk on the left side, facing traffic.

We hope you have a happy Halloween! 

Halloween safety tips

Tomorrow, candy will flow and trick-or-treaters across the country will take to the streets to collect the sugary goodness. Here are some safety tips to ensure everyone has a frightfully good time.

Drivers:

• Turn on your headlights to improve visibility - Even in the day time.
• Watch for trick-or-treaters on curbs, streets and medians. They could be wearing darker costumes so keep your eyes peeled.
• Slow down in residential areas.  Give yourself extra time to react should a trick-or-treater dash into the road.
• Be sure to scan both sides of the street as you drive. Be prepared  to stop for trick-or-treaters.

Trick or Treaters:

 If you are young at heart and will be taking to the streets to collect some goodies, there are a few things you need to know:

• Let your parents or guardians know where you will be going. Create a route and stick to it. 
• Follow safety rules, and look both ways before crossing the streets. Don’t cross between vehicles.
• Trick or treat in a group. It can be more entertaining and safer. Younger children should be with a responsible adult or youth.
• Be bright at night - ensure that that your costume can be seen by drivers. Enhance your costumes with reflective tape or glow sticks.
• You should be able to see without difficulty. Don’t wear bulky masks or head gear. Consider using non-toxic face make up or paint.
• Carry a flashlight inside your Halloween bucket or bag so you can see where you are going. DON’T shine it into the eyes of drivers.
• Stay on sidewalks - if you must walk in the street, walk on the left side, facing traffic.

We hope you have a happy Halloween! 

Don't lose your head this Halloween

 

Monsters, ghouls and witches will be celebrating this Halloween weekend and KDOT wants to remind all creatures of the night that driving under the influence can have deadly consequences. 

On Halloween night between 2009 and 2013, 119 people were killed by drunk drivers and 43 percent of all motor vehicle deaths involved drunk driving.

In America, anyone driving with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 grams per deciliter or higher is considered a drunk driver.

You can have a howling good time and stay safe if you follow these tips:

• Before you begin drinking, make a plan to get home safely. Studies have shown alcohol makes it harder to judge situations. You may not be able to make wise decisions later in the night.
• Make sure you have a designated driver, public transportation or a sober friend or relative to you get home safely.
• Even if you have only had a few drinks, it is still unsafe to drive.
• If your community has a sober ride program, use it.
• Contact your local law enforcement if you spot an impaired driver on the road.
• If you see someone who is thinking about driving impaired, take their keys and offer to help them find a safe way home.
• If you think you can walk home while drunk, think again. It can be just as dangerous as if you were driving. If you must walk home, ask someone you trust to walk with you.

Scare factor encourages pedestrians to pay attention

‘Tis the season for all things scary. With Halloween just a week away, Pittsburgh Penn., is taking advantage of this spooky time of year to encourage safety.

Because of the rise of smart phone usage, pedestrians are paying less attention when crossing the streets and are focusing on the next tweet, text message or even the next big video game.

In an article published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that improvisational actors dressed as zombies or the Grim Reaper are stopping people who are paying attention to their phones while crossing busy streets and reminding them to look up using the catch phrase, “Look Alive.”

In the video below, The Grim Reaper heckles pedestrians, with phrases like, “If you text, you are next!”

A geofencing app is also being used that sends alerts to pedestrians when they are using their phones at busy intersections.

Crossing busy streets doesn’t have to be scary, but with pedestrian/car incidents on the rise, this is a message that should be taken seriously all year round. 

Check out the video below and let us know your thoughts on this campaign! Could you see something like this coming to Kansas? Do you feel it would make a difference on reminding pedestrians to pay attention?