OUR VIEW: Drivers, slow down and watch for children trick-or-treating this weekend
Published 11:30 am Friday, October 29, 2021
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This weekend will be highlighted by Halloween, which is on Sunday, and we know many of you are ready to take little ones out trick-or-treating around town.
Halloween is one of the most fun times of the year. When else do we get an excuse to all play dress up?
With that said, we again want to remind everyone to be extremely safe Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening when at Halloween events or trick-or-treating. Anyone driving Saturday evening should be aware that little children could be anywhere. We encourage you to drive slower and to be on the lookout for children who could dart in front of your vehicle.
It’s never a good idea to be on your phone when driving, but it should be extremely discouraged this weekend.
When you throw in some of the big sporting events this weekend — Troup-LaGrange on Friday, Georgia-Florida on Saturday, the Atlanta Braves playing World Series games at home — we anticipate that many people will be out and about.
Children will be excited about getting candy and being dressed up, and in some cases they’ll be walking in neighborhoods they aren’t familiar with, so drivers need to be very aware of that.
Of course, parents do too.
Talk to your child before going trick-or-treating. Explain that they need to stay with you and walk on the sidewalks, looking for cars.
At a certain point in the evening — probably around sunset, it’s probably a good idea to head home and go through your candy stash.
We don’t encourage children in masks, just because it further impairs their vision. If your child is wearing a mask, make sure they can see. Face paint is safer.
Make sure your child is in a costume that can be seen by passing vehicles. Reflective tape works well.
Most of all, we want everyone to have fun. But we also encourage safety on what figures to be a busy weekend.