This Halloween, make safety a focus as your holiday fun by following some basic trick-or-treating safety tips that save you time and reduce risk. With a little precaution, any fear you experience will be the fun kind of spooky!
Walk Safely
Remember that even though it’s Halloween, we all have to follow the law. Be sure you obey all rules when you’re walking around to make navigating the roads as safe as possible. Cross the street at crosswalks, especially in high traffic areas. Wherever possible, cross under a streetlight.
Not all drivers are attentive to or expecting pedestrians at night, so double check before crossing and don’t be distracted by cell phones. Finally, always walk on the sidewalk or curb even if the street looks empty.
Keep Connected
Parents should be mindful of cellphone use. If you have older children trick or treating alone, be sure they have proper communication channels so they can get in touch in a pinch. A charged cellphone and a backup battery are perfect to ensure kids have a good sense of where they are. Pre-program a route into the map application so they always know where to go.
Drive Carefully
If you’re driving on Halloween night, be extra alert! There are tons of unpredictable and possibly unsupervised kids running around, so drive slowly with your lights on to make sure that you see any kids and kids have a chance to see you. Trick or treating is common between 5:30-9, so make a note in your calendar to remind you. Use extra caution when turning, passing a crosswalk, or backing out of an alley, as these areas have more blind spots than driving straight down a street.
Keep Costumes Safe
One of the best things you can do is add reflective tape to a child’s costume to make them more visible to traffic. Reflective tape is easily purchased and very inexpensive! Also, be sure your child’s costume fits them property. Pants or skirts that are too long can drag on the ground and cause kids to trip, and masks that obscure vision increase the odds of a tumble. Use facepaint rather than masks if at all possible, and be sure that any toy weapons have no sharp edges that could accidentally injure someone during play. A fun safety measure is to give your kids glowsticks and glow bracelets to make them more visible at night.
Pay Attention to the Weather
During late October, it can be surprisingly cold at night, so dress appropriately! If your child has a costume that provides little insulation from the elements, add extra layers to their clothing to prevent them from getting too cold in pursuit of candy. If you live in a warm climate, make sure they can remove any unnecessary layers so they don’t get too hot.
Finally, a thin rain poncho can save kids a lot of heartache from a ruined costume, so bring one along if rain is a possibility.
Have fun this Halloween and stay safe!