Halloween Safety for Drivers and Children

By: Edward L. Blais, JD, CIC

Halloween is one of our favorite holidays here at Blais Insurance. And while we enjoy the excuse to dress up and eat more candy than we can handle, we also know that safety is an important issue on Halloween.

In this week’s post, check out a few important tips to keep in mind on October 31st.

Driving on Halloween 

• Trick-or-treaters tend to come out between the hours of 4:00PM and 9:00PM, so be especially careful when it becomes dark out. 
• Be sure to drive slowly, and do not pass stopped vehicles, which may be dropping off children. 
• Even if you’re vigilant, children can dart out into the street at spots other than intersections; so keep an eye out at all times and avoid distractions by waiting until you’ve stopped to use your mobile phone. 
• Children often won’t stop or see your vehicle approaching, so always yield to young pedestrians on a night when so many will be out and about. Practice this caution with other drivers, too, by always signaling, communicating, or putting on your hazard lights when pulling over to drop off or pick up kids. 

Keeping your own trick-or-treaters safe 

If you’re a parent, you want your kids to have as much fun as possible on this exciting holiday. But keeping your own trick-or-treaters safe is paramount to making sure they have a worry-free evening.

• Teach your children how to safely cross streets; they should look both ways and cross only at corners and crosswalks. 
• Consider indoor community Halloween programs for younger kids. 
• Brighten up their costumes, or give them flashlights and glow sticks so drivers can see them. 

Halloween is a great day for kids to have fun and use their imaginations. We at Blais Insurance think being as safe as possible ensure that your children have the most fun.

If you have any additional questions regarding safe driving, please contact Blais Insurance at 401- 725 -0070.

School Bus Safety

By: Edward L. Blais, JD, CIC

Like you, we at Blais Insurance value our children’s safety more than anything else. Over 23 million of our children ride to school every day in a school bus. And while these buses are still considered one of the safest modes of transport, it’s important to understand the real risks involved in getting on and off a bus, as well as walking to bus stops.

Here, we offer some safety tips from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to help students, parents, and motorists stay safe around buses.

When waiting at the bus stop, parents should encourage their children to stand at least 6 feet away from the curb, and to wait still until the bus stops, the door opens, and the driver indicates that it’s okay to step onto the bus.

If your children must cross the street in front of the bus, be sure that they walk at least 10 feet ahead of the bus before they cross, so that they and the bus driver can see each other.

Finally, children should never walk behind the bus, as the driver may not be able to see them.

Even if your children do not take the school bus, it’s important to keep watch for others if you are a driver. Watch for children when backing out of your driveway and check both sides of the sidewalk.

Be sure to be alert and aware on the road, to drive slowly, and to be aware of children playing or waiting around bus stops. Additionally, it is important to know the school bus laws in your state, what different school bus lights indicate, and when it is safe to stop or continue when driving behind a school bus.

If you have additional questions about safe driving and how it relates to your auto insurance policy, please call Blais Insurance at 401-725-0070.