Trick-or-treat-or-traffic: stay safe out there!

The scariest thing about Halloween should be your child’s homemade zombie cheerleader costume, not speeding cars. RHHD Policy Director Ruth Morrison offers some tips for getting home with every candy bar intact (except the ones you eat on the way!):

If you don’t have to drive, don’t!  

Reducing the number of cars on the road reduces opportunities for pedestrian injury. Take public transit, walk, bike, or scooter your way into the night’s festivities.

Slow it down. 

If you do drive, drive more slowly and remain aware of your surroundings. Not everyone can be easily seen and those at play move quickly! And remain aware of your surroundings—gawking at Skele can wait.

Take advantage of the built environment. 

If you can, travel through areas with sidewalks, crosswalks, street lighting, and on neighborhood of streets with slower speed limits.

Be seen.  

Walk in large groups, wear reflective clothing, and bring a flashlight. Make sure to face the direction of oncoming traffic.

Talk about it.  

Talk to kids about being careful on roads and sidewalks. Share safe routes you find with neighbors and friends.

Get involved.  

You can advocate for smarter, safer infrastructure. While many crashes are the result of avoidable, dangerous choices of drivers, crashes can be prevented by better road design, slower streets, and roads built to keep people safe—regardless of how they use the roadway.

Interested in learning more about traffic safety or want to get involved? Visit the City of Richmond’s Vision Zero page.