Countdown to Halloween: Keep Your Kids Safe
Cars, not candy, can pose the greatest danger to your kids this Halloween.
Oct. 25, 2010 — -- The key to staying safe during Halloween is to know where the danger lies. The number one Halloween hazard by far is kids being hit by cars.
In fact, children are twice as likely to be struck on Halloween as on any other night.
Melissa Robles and Hailey Vileta of Woodinville, Wash., prepared this year for Halloween with the typical teenage enthusiasm, but it was last year that the two were nearly killed.
"You just feel like I really am lucky," Melissa told "Good Morning America."
The girls, along with about a dozen other ninth graders, were walking along a road in their hometown after dark. Melissa was dressed as Little Red Riding Hood. Ironically, Hailey was dressed as the sun. They don't remember what happened next, but friends who witnessed the incident told them.
"The car hit me dead on and then swerved around back to Melissa," Hailey said.
"I flew out of my shoes," Melissa said. "Like my shoes were planted right where I got hit."
CLICK HERE to see web extra tips for staying safe, whether you're driving or your kid is Trick-or-Treating.
Hailey said the next thing she knew, she woke up with her mother holding her hand and doctors swarming her.
For Halloween that year, instead of candy, the girls got head injuries, a lacerated liver, two crushed legs, multiple surgeries, titanium rods, wheelchairs, casts, days in the hospital and weeks away from school.
"I remember before the accident being able to run super fast, but now I can't," Melissa said.
Of all the crashes when kids are struck and killed, 42 percent occur between the narrow window of 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. That's when cars are coming and the light is leaving.
"It turns into the perfect storm of things that contribute to crashes," said Moira Donahue of Safe Kids U.S.A., a non-profit organization that works to eliminate preventable childhood injuries.
Sometimes parents worry about exotic Halloween hazards, like tainted candy, and forget about car accidents, the most devastating danger of all.
"It's really important for parents to think about walking safety and visibility for their children on Halloween," Donahue said. "It really is the top concern."
Statistics to Keep Your Kids From Being One
Other statistics to know to help keep your kids from becoming one:
Pedestrian deaths among 4- to 7-year-olds are decreasing, but death of kids 8 to 14 years old are on the rise.
Nearly two-thirds of the victims are boys.
The biggest danger lies in the middle of the block, not at the intersection.
"Think about what you're doing and be safe out there because you never know what can happen," Melissa said.
"The slightest moment could kill somebody, could take their life," Hailey said.
A year after their accident, Hailey and Melissa are mostly recovered. Although the pins in their legs cause them a lot of pain, the girls have turned that pain into passion.
They speak to school groups and distribute glow-in-the-dark bracelets and neon road signs. Their message to kids and drivers? Stay alert and safe.
"I think what I am most proud of is just how they've turned a negative experience into an act of courage," Hailey's dad, Jeff Vileta, said.
CLICK HERE to find out more about Hailey Vileta and Melissa Robles' campaign for better pedestrian safety.
How to Stay Safe
Despite accidents like Hailey and Melissa's, according to poll results from CafeMom.com obtained exclusively by ABC News, only 56 percent of parents plan to have their kids wear bright colors and reflectors when they trick-or-treat this year and only 59 percent will give them a flashlight to carry.
In a demonstration on "GMA," I showed the audience how some Halloween themed reflectors -- purchased for just a few dollars -- can alert drivers to a trick-or-treater. Glowsticks around a kid's neck and wrists and blinking lights that can be attached to the back of the costume complete the illuminated -- and safe -- look.
But you also want your kids to be able to see the cars. That's why experts discourage masks that have small eye holes that can be hard to see through. Face paint can be a good replacement.
Also, firefighters are on a major campaign to stop the use of real candles in pumpkins, which can catch costumes and highly flammable decorations on fire.
For older kids, parents can keep track of them with new technology like the Trick or Tracker smartphone application. In that app, which is free through Halloween and costs a $10 one-time fee after that, a pumpkin marks your child's location.
Web Extra Tips for Kids and Drivers
Tips for Kids
Cross streets safely. Children under 12 should cross streets with an adult. Cross the street at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks.
Look left, right and left again when crossing and keep looking as you cross. Walk, don't run, across the street.
Pedestrians should try to make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them.
Always walk on sidewalks or paths. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible. Children should walk on direct routes with the fewest street crossings.
Parents should remind children to be safe pedestrians around cars. Watch out for cars that are turning or backing up. Never dart out into the street or cross between parked cars.
Children should not be alone at night without adult supervision if they are under the age of 12. If kids are mature enough to be out without supervision, they should stick to familiar areas that are well lit.
Tips for Drivers
Slow down and be especially alert in residential neighborhoods and school zones. Children move in unpredictable ways.
Take extra time to look for kids at intersections, on medians and on curbs.
Enter and exit driveways and alleys slowly and carefully.
Reduce any distractions inside your car so you can concentrate on the road and your surroundings.
Drive more slowly, anticipate heavy pedestrian traffic and be sure to drive with your full headlights on so you can spot children from greater distances.
You can see fun Halloween reflective patches at FlashBriteinc.com and to learn more about child safety information, CLICK HERE.