In efforts to raise road safety awareness among young children and their parents/guardians on Halloween, Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) has distributed more than 71,761 reflective safety flashers along with in-class activity sheets to over 350 Manitoba schools for students in Kindergarten to Grade 6.

“At MPI, we believe it’s crucial to begin road safety education at a young age to help all Manitobans understand we all have a role to play in ensuring everyone feels safe and confident on our shared roadways, no matter what age they are,” said Satvir Jatana, MPI’s Chief Customer Officer. “This material is designed to help reinforce safe behaviours on this exciting night – and all year long, Along with the safety packages is a letter which provides several important safety messages for parents and legal guardians as to how keep their ghosts and goblins safe while collecting their treats.”

On a positive note, over the last decade pedestrian/vehicle incidents on Halloween have been minimal.

“Years of enhanced public awareness about the increased risk to young pedestrians on Halloween, combined with safety tips to children and their parents, has resulted in a safety record that all Manitobans can be proud of,” said Jatana. “Halloween is typically a very busy day on our streets with excited children. The fact that no road deaths have resulted over the last decade is proof that by taking personal responsibility for road safety, every road user has the power to prevent motor vehicle fatalities. Looking to this weekend, we encourage motorists, in particular, to continue to take extra care behind the wheel, and help protect those excited trick-or-treaters.”

Safety tips for a happy Halloween

For trick-or-treaters:

  • Don’t run out onto roadways.
  • Always look both ways and cross at corners or intersections.
  • Wear reflective clothing to make yourself more visible to motorists.
  • Walk facing traffic when there is no sidewalk.

For motorists:

  • Don’t speed – motorists should slow down when they see children walking.
  • Don’t assume children see your vehicle. They are excited and could run out in front of you.
  • Watch for children who may dart between parked vehicles. Be prepared to stop.