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Idaho Transportation
Department
Public Affairs Office
P.O. Box 7129
Boise, ID 83707
208.334.8005
Fax: 208.334.8563
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Have a safe and sane Halloween

The following is based on information provided by the Oregon Department of Transportation. Please follow these suggestions to ensure a safe Halloween.

This Halloween weekend is an occasion for drivers to take extra care, not only for young trick-or-treaters, but also for their friends, their family and themselves. Even though the holiday will fall on a Monday this year, Halloween parties and activities will be under way through the entire weekend - for both children and adults.

"With nighttime arriving earlier after the end of Daylight Saving Time, clouds and rain darkening road visibility, and both adults and children out having fun, it's vital for drivers to be particularly careful all three days," said Sue Riehl, youth safety program coordinator at the Oregon Department of Transportation's Safety Division.

Perhaps the biggest single risk of the Halloween weekend is drinking and driving.
In fact, 53 percent of all highway fatalities across the nation over Halloween weekend in 2003 were alcohol-related, and 45 percent of the total fatalities involved a driver with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of 0.08 or higher - the legal limit in every state.

The Oregon Department of Transportation provides funds for year-round DUII overtime patrols to the Oregon State Police. OSP will continue to coordinate with local police agencies to enhance DUII enforcement for Oregon highways, cities and counties.

ODOT and OSP offer these simple reminders for a safer Halloween weekend:

For adult traffic safety:

  • Be responsible and never drive impaired.
  • If you plan to drink, choose your sober driver before going out.
  • Once impaired, use mass transit, call a cab or ask a sober friend to get you home.
  • If all else fails, just stay where you are and sleep it off.
  • Always buckle up - it's still your best defense against an impaired driver.
  • If you are hosting a Halloween party, make sure all of your guests leave with a sober driver.

For drivers:

  • Slow down in residential neighborhoods, particularly on Halloween.
  • Obey all traffic signs and signals.
  • Watch for children walking in or near the street or on medians or curbs.
  • Enter and exit driveways and alleys slowly and cautiously. Have children enter and exit cars on the curb side, away from traffic.

For parents and children:

  • Dress children in bright costumes. Use reflective tape or stickers on darker costumes and treat bags.
  • Apply face paint or cosmetics appropriate for children directly to the face. It is safer than a loose-fitting mask that can obstruct a childs vision.
  • If a mask is worn, be certain it fits securely. Cut the eyeholes large enough for full vision.
  • Secure hats so they will not slip over childrens eyes.
  • Teach children to walk, not run, while trick-or-treating.
  • Remind children to cross streets only at intersections.
  • Teach them to stop and look for cars, looking to the left, right and left again before crossing, and then to keep looking both ways for cars while they cross.
  • Teach them never to dart into a street or cross a street from between parked cars.
  • Don't let children younger than 12 trick-or-treat or cross streets without adult supervision.

For more information on Halloween Safety, visit:
www.usa.safekids.org/content_documents/ACF1DDE.pdf

Why child pedestrians are at highest risk:

  • Elementary age children are at greatest risk because of their limited developmental skills.
  • Children in this age group:
  • Have a field of vision one-third narrower than an adult's.
  • Are unable to determine the direction of sounds.
  • Cannot accurately judge the speed or distance of moving vehicles.
  • Lack the ability to understand how much time and distance is needed for a vehicle to stop.
  • Overestimate their own abilities.
  • Are easily distracted, and tend to focus on one thing at a time like a ball or friend.
  • Are easily hidden by parked cars, bushes, leaf piles, trash bins, etc.
  • For updated information on highway work and current travel information throughout Oregon, visit www.tripcheck.com, or call the Oregon road report at 511 or (800) 977-6368.

Visit ODOT at www.odot.state.or.us.