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Halloween safety tips from U.S. Cellular
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[October 25, 2007]
SPRINGFIELD --
Trick-or-treating in the modern world is a tricky business,
especially for parents who worry about the safety of their children.
But for the millions of Americans with cell phones, staying
connected to their kids on Halloween can be as easy as the push of a
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 "From pirates to princesses and ghosts to goblins, a necessary
accessory for every Halloween costume this year is a cell phone,"
said Cheryl Church, director of sales for U.S. Cellular. "Cell
phones give parents a safety net on Halloween and allow parents to
quickly and easily contact their kids wherever they may be."Ways
that parents can use cell phones on Halloween depend on their
child's age. Parents with small children can pin a slip of paper
with their cell phone number, along with the child's name and
address, inside a pocket or onto the costume, just in case the child
gets separated from the group.
"Cell phones have a number of features and applications that are
useful for trick-or-treating, and we want our customers and their
families to be safe on Halloween," said Church, who offers the
following suggestions for parents:
Text it in. Text messaging is a fun and easy way to keep in
touch with older kids on Halloween. While planning a trick-or-treat
route, parents can preprogram the cell phone with updates to send
from certain points along the way. By filing messages such as "At
Main and State" or "B home in 15" in the "saved" text folder,
trick-or-treaters only have to press "send" when the time comes.
Timing it just right. A cell phone's alarm clock is another
great tool for parents. When they establish a curfew on Halloween
night, parents can set their kids' cell phone alarm clock to give
them a reminder when it's time to head home. Parents also can help
their children set an alarm to ring when they'd like the kids to
check in -- either by calling or texting.
The "Monster Mash." Choose from the wide array of customized
ring tones and download a special ring tone on your child's phone so
they will know that Mom or Dad is calling. Parents and kids can
choose from popular music or seasonal songs like "Monster Mash" or
"Ghostbusters."
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Safety first. Parents should make sure their kids know how to
use a cell phone in an emergency. Before sending kids out for
trick-or-treating, parents should teach children how to provide
their location to the 911 operator and describe it using landmarks
if an address is unknown or unavailable. Emergency phone numbers can
be preprogrammed into the phone so that children can get help
quickly.
A picture is worth a thousand words. Children are always on
the move and can easily slip out of sight in a crowd. Take a picture
of your ghost or goblin at the beginning of the night, so that if
the group gets separated and officials need to get involved, there
is an accessible and accurate description of what the child is
wearing.
"A cell phone is a great safety tool for kids during Halloween,"
said Church. "If you keep it fun for them, they'll be more likely to
use it. Invite children to use camera phones to take pictures of
their friends' costumes or their favorite decorations. Get kids
interested in the phone, and they'll be more comfortable using it
when they need to."
For more information about Halloween safety, visit the National
Safety Council's online site at www.nsc.org.
U.S. Cellular is the nation's sixth-largest wireless service
carrier, serving 6 million customers in 26 states. The Chicago-based
company employs 8,000 associates and operates on a customer
satisfaction strategy -- meeting customer needs by providing a
comprehensive range of wireless products and services, superior
customer support, and a high-quality network. For more information,
visit www.uscellular.com.
[Text from file sent by L.C.
Williams & Associates on behalf of
U.S. Cellular]
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