Just In Time For Halloween, MDOT Has New Signs To Remind Us To Drive Safely

This Sunday is Halloween, which means there will likely be an increase in the number of people walking around as they trick-or-treat through neighborhoods across Maine. Officials are asking drivers to keep this in mind when they hit the road for the holiday.

According to drivesafeonline.com:

"Under normal circumstances, children under 14 make up a small proportion of overall pedestrian fatalities. But Safe Kids Worldwide reports that children are more than twice as likely to be killed on Halloween as any other day. This means that every year, for many people, Halloween is scary for all the wrong reasons."

To remind and inspire us to proceed with caution while out on the roadway, the Maine DOT has come up with stellar signs to encourage drivers to be safe this Halloween season.

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From the Maine DOT Facebook Page, a message:

"Be smart. Be safe. Be seen. Happy Halloween from MaineDOT!"

I can tell you, from first-hand experience, I wish signs like these were all over the place on Halloween, as my kids and I had a very close call while trick-or-treating 2 years ago.

I was walking my kids across the street, a few years back on Halloween. Half our group, being led by my step-dad who was carrying a flashlight and wearing neon yellow, had made it to the sidewalk. The other half, which I was leading, again--carrying a flashlight and wearing reflective clothing, was still crossing the street when a huge truck came barreling up the road.

I waved my arms and screamed as the driver, who had been looking down at a cell phone, screeched to a halt. He put the truck in park and got out of the vehicle, to apologize. That's when the Mama Bear in me kicked in, and I started scolding him in a loud "mom" voice, asking if it was his aim to kill someone that evening?! My kids looked on as I "went all mad mom" on him, and told him he should know better, and to put down his phone!

Thankfully, no one was hurt that night, but I'm sure I scared the pants off of that driver, hopefully to the point where he actually paid attention the rest of the night. My kids remember it for the fact that their mom "went all Mom" on another grown-up. I remember it as the night they were almost run over by a careless driver.

Let's all follow the MDOT's lead, heed the warning on the signs, and stay safe this Halloween.