Dunkin' Donuts promotes Halloween safety

WASHINGTON, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- Little children dressed up as ghosts and goblins may be more cute than scary, but parents do become fearful this time of year as their children prepare for a Halloween night of fright and fun.

To address that anxiety, Dunkin' Donuts is teaming up with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to promote a safe Halloween. Their national "Mind Your Munchkins" Halloween Safety Program is educating parents and kids on how to avoid safety risks posed by flammable costumes, facial masks that inhibit children's visibility and tainted candy or tampered treats.

"The 'Mind Your Munchkins' program is about teaching children and their families how to maximize the fun of Halloween while enjoying it safely," said Louise McCulloch, Field Marketing Manager, Dunkin' Donuts.

Dunkin' Donuts is sending police officers to schools in Chicago, Philadelphia, Miami and Brooklyn with a colorful flyer that displays the CPSC's Halloween safety tips (and a coupon for free donut).

To avoid real fear on Oct. 31, parents should dress their children in light or reflective costumes that will not on catch fire, have their children wear makeup instead of masks, and ensure that all candy they receive is properly wrapped or sealed, the safety tips poster says.

Every year, children and youth are tragically injured and even killed when mischievous pranks such as egg fights or staged haunted houses get out of control.

Car accidents also threaten pedestrian children who are out collecting goodies at dusk. The Centers for Disease Control analyzed data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration from Halloweens from 1975 to 1996 and found a fourfold increase in the number of childhood pedestrian deaths on Halloween evenings when compared with all other evenings.

Dunkin' Donuts USA is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Allied Domecq PLC, and part of the largest coffee and baked goods chain in the world. Since 1998, that company has worked with neighborhood leaders nationwide as part of a "WEE CARE" program that provides public service and education -- and, at this time of year, with glow-in-the-dark buckets full of donuts.