An Atlantic Beach entrepreneur, Chad Sandiford, is selling custom-made lights that can increase visibility at night this Halloween. They're called Third Kind Lights, and it's a business he started after his friend, Matt Gray, was killed by a hit-and-run driver who didn't see him while he was walking home one night in 2006.
"He was hit on his way home from a local bar. The vehicle never saw him. Years went by, I thought something needed to change," said Sandiford. "Within three months, I got the first call from someone saying my product saved their life."
Sandiford said his lights can be used on skateboard lights, scooters, baby strollers, snowboards and skis. They can go anywhere.
"They are custom-made, my custom design," Sandiford said. He said most light strips use 12-volt lights, but his use 3.7 with the same amount of light on less power, making them last longer.
The National Security Council's data gives an alarming statistic: children in the U.S. are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than on any other day of the year. They claim low visibility plays a factor in these deaths.
The Safe Kids Worldwide Organization encourages parents to use glow sticks, reflective lights or carry a flashlight while trick or treating.
Megan Gaston said she started using the Third Kind Lights when she had her 3-year-old daughter.
"Usually on Seminole Road when it's really busy, and the sidewalk's busy with bikers, it makes me feel a lot safer especially with cars coming," said Gaston.
Sandiford said he hopes his lights will prevent others from having to deal with the tragedy he knows all too well. "The most important thing you can have is lights," he said.
Through October, the lights are 20 percent off on Amazon. For more information, visit their website, ThirdKindLights.com.