Happy Halloween! Thank you for taking the time to visit the website for the Chesapeake Chapter of the American Society of Safety Professionals. Next week, more than 41 million children, in the United States, will celebrate Halloween by going trick-or-treating! Please keep the following in mind to keep you and your community safe:
Statistics
- 175 million Americans plan to celebrate Halloween this year
- More than 41 million children will go trick or treating this year
- The average American will spend $86.79 on Halloween festivities
- 3.8 million children will dress as their favorite character
- 20% of celebrators will dress their pet
- Box office earnings for horror movies exceeded 750 million dollars in 2022
- 6.9 million dollars has been spent on pumpkin spice products since the end of August
On a more serious note, in the United States…
- In 2023, more than 7,300 pedestrians died in traffic or non-traffic incidents
- This is a 52% increase over the last decade
- 18% of those deaths occurred at road crossings or intersections
- Children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than on any other day of the year
Tips for Trick or Treating
- A responsible adult should accompany young children on the neighborhood rounds
- If your older children are going alone, plan their route with them
- Agree on a specific time that they should return home
- Teach your children never to enter a stranger’s home or car
- Instruct children to travel only in familiar, well-lit areas and stick with their friends
- Tell your children not to eat any treats until they return home
- Children and adults should never walk while looking at their cell phones or electronic devices
- A responsible adult should inspect all candy prior to allowing anyone to eat it
- Any candy that is not in a wrapper or has a wrapper that has been tampered with should be discarded immediately
Tips for Motorists
- Avoid driving during Trick or Treat hours, if possible
- Slow down in residential areas and obey all traffic signs and signals
- Drive at least 5 MPH below the posted speed limit to give yourself extra time to react to children who may dart into the street
- Don’t utilize your high beams as they make it difficult for on-coming traffic to see trick or treaters
- Watch for children walking on roadways, medians, curbs, sidewalks and streets with no sidewalks
- Watch for children crossing the street who cross mid-block or between parked cars
- Watch for trick or treaters who may dart from behind cars or other obstructions
- Carefully enter and exit driveways
- Don’t park in the street if you don’t have to
- Use extra caution when backing up
- Turn on your headlights to make yourself more visible- even if the sun is still out
- Be Alert, Be Safe, Be Aware
2025 is FLYING BY very quickly, but that doesn’t mean that you have to let the many benefits that ASSP has to offer pass you by! Regardless of the industry that you work in, ASSP has something for you. In addition, we are looking for assistance on one of our many committees. While many of our volunteers spend 8 or more hours per month, in their volunteer roles, many others spend less than 2 hours. Regardless of the commitment that you are able to make, your assistance is needed and appreciated. If you are interested in being more active in the chapter, please reach out to me directly. Thank you, again, for taking the time to visit the website for the Chesapeake Chapter of the American Society of Safety Professionals.
James Woodward
ASSP Chesapeake Chapter President