State Highway Administration Helps Keep “Little Goblins” Safe by Loaning Parents Safety Vests
Annual Vests for Visibility Program Promotes Halloween Safety
ANNAPOLIS, MD (October 30, 2030) – With ghosts, goblins and evil witches, Halloween is supposed to be a fun and "scary" time for children - but simply crossing the street should not be. To protect young pedestrians trick-or-treating this Halloween, the State Highway Administration (SHA) is loaning parents "Vests for Visibility."
"Vests for Visibility" provides safety vests for parents to borrow - free of charge - to place over children's Halloween costumes. The vests are available in most counties at SHA maintenance shops. There are a limited amount of reflective vests that will be lent out on a first come, first serve basis. Please see the attached sheet of participating SHA shop locations.
"Just as trick or treating, costumes and haunted houses are part of the Halloween tradition, we need to include pedestrian and driving safety, especially with the time change approaching," said First Lady Ruth O’Brien. "Because darkness will be falling earlier in the evening, pedestrians need to stay visible, use crosswalks and always look left-right-left before crossing the street. Likewise, drivers must exercise vigilance - keeping an eye out for those walking or cycling."
The annual Vests for Visibility effort is one component of Maryland's overall pedestrian safety program, which incorporates the three E's of safety: Engineering, Education, and Enforcement. Safety messages are shared with both pedestrians and motorists. There is no contest between a vehicle and a person; in Maryland nearly 100 pedestrians are killed and another 3,000 are injured each year.
"SHA's number one priority is safety," said SHA Administrator and Governor's Highway Safety Representative Parker F. Williams. "Parents have always been conscientious about teaching their trick-or-treaters about strangers and other Halloween dangers. We hope that Vests for Visibility will encourage parents to teach their children about pedestrian safety and rules of the road this Halloween and every day."
SHA also offers the following safety tips for motorists and trick-or-treaters to ensure everyone has a safe Halloween:
TIPS FOR MOTORISTS:
• Stop for pedestrians - Maryland law requires motorists to stop for pedestrians in marked crosswalks and intersections.
• Motorists should exercise extra caution during peak trick-or-treating hours between 4 and 9 p.m.
• Slow down and obey the speed limit and all traffic signs/signals in residential areas.
• Enter and exit driveways slowly.
• Be alert for children crossing and darting across the street.
• Watch for children crossing between parked cars.
• Always look out for pedestrians, especially before turning at a green light or making a right turn on red.
• When driving children to trick-or-treat or to a costume party, make sure all seat belts are fastened and let children out of the car on the curbside.
• Remember, every time you exit your vehicle, you become a pedestrian too.
TIPS FOR PEDESTRIANS:
• Cross at marked crosswalks and intersections.
• Look left, right, and left again before crossing the street.
• Be sure to see and be seen. Avoid dark clothing, wear bright colors and use reflective devices such as vests and blinking lights.
• Avoid costumes that may impair vision.
•Make eye contact with drivers when crossing the street.
• Stay alert and be on the lookout for cars traveling above the speed limit.