The Westside Gazette Newspaper is honored to feature these editorial contributions made by local students.
By Layla Davidson
Did you know that children are twice as likely to die on Halloween than any other day of the year as they trick-or-treat along our streets?
These fatalities are not just among little kids, either. Most of the pedestrian deaths occurred among those between ages 12 and 15, followed by ages 5 to 8. Children and teens should be cautioned about the distractions of cell phone use and follow other safety guidelines, including the use of flashlights.
On Halloween night, particularly during trick-or-treat hours, children often forget about crossing only at crosswalks. Particularly in popular neighborhoods for trick-or-treating, kids and adults alike are crossing the street in any random place and way.
This creates a serious safety hazard. It’s even more dangerous if a trick-or-treater steps out to cross from between two parked cars because, again, a driver in a motor vehicle may hit the child before they see them. Your child isn’t easily visible in her witch costume, and she’s darting back and forth across the road in her quest for candy. Out of nowhere a car comes careening down the street and an accident almost happens.
More than a quarter of the deaths occurred between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., State Farm found, with 70 percent happening in the middle of the block, away from a crosswalk or intersection.
Parents should make sure their child’s costume sports reflective tape, and kids should carry a flashlight or glow stick. Children should not trick-or-treat alone, but in groups with parental supervision. Even then, parents need to be on guard: Excited children can easily sprint ahead and forget to look both ways.
Be safe and trick-or- treat with caution!!
The Westside Gazette would like to thank Pierson Grant PR, Slow Burn Theatre Company and the Broward Center of the Performing Arts for a great
experience for our junior photojournalists.
