10/27/2017
Safety tips for trick-or-treating
Don't let your ghosts be invisible - Ensure your kids are visible while trick-or-treating by creatively decorating their costume and candy bags with reflective tape or stickers. Glow sticks and flashlights (with new batteries) will also make children more visible to drivers.
Hospital visits are horrifying - Be sure to avoid masks that obstruct vision and check that costumes fit correctly. Stick to well-lit streets and never cut through dark yards or alleys. This can prevent serious injuries from trip and falls.
It's ghastly going alone - Until they reach the age of 12, children should be accompanied by a responsible adult. Even after that, they should not trick-or-treat alone. They should only go to houses with the front-porch lights on. Let them know to never enter a house or car to get a treat.
Plan your haunting beforehand - For children that are old enough to trick-or-treat alone, plan an acceptable route and agree on a time they should return before they leave the house. If possible, they should also carry a cell phone so they can stay connected.
Making your home safe for Halloween
Get your sidewalk neat before they trick-or-treat - Walk the path from the street to your door and clear anything that trick-or-treaters could trip over or slip and injure themselves. This includes gardening equipment, hoses, toys, potted plants, lawn ornaments and even Halloween decorations that block the path to your front door.
Make your yard spooky, not dangerous - Be sure to clean up before candy-fueled children charge through your yard. Remove dead branches, sticks and acorns, rake up the leaves, fill in holes and trim your hedges to prevent any injuries.
A well-lit driveway can still be scary - There's nothing scarier for a homeowner than seeing a masked trick-or-treater blindly stagger up your dark driveway. Help them out by turning on all of your exterior lights and lining your driveway and sidewalk with lights or luminaries. Never use any open flames, which could lead to disaster and injury. Instead, use LED tea lights or other decorative Halloween lights to prevent a fire. These should also be used in jack-o-lanterns in lieu of candles.
Keep your beasts in the dungeon - It doesn't matter if you've got a vampire bat or a kitten as a pet, a constantly ringing doorbell can be too much excitement for your animal. To keep your pet from sprinting out of your open front door and possibly injuring someone, keep them confined to another room in the house.
Safe driving tips for Halloween
No speed demons allowed - If you are driving through a residential area, drive as slow as possible. Avoid passing stopped vehicles in case they are dropping off children. You should also be especially cautious when entering and exiting driveways.
The horrors of distraction - On Halloween, neighborhoods are filled with children unexpectedly darting out into the street. Put away your cell phone and don't look away from the road to ensure you don't injure any trick-or-treaters. You should also never drive while wearing a mask.
Turn signals aren't terrifying - Communicate your intentions to pedestrians and other drivers by using your turn signals. If you're dropping off trick-or-treaters, pull over and use your hazard lights.
Drinking on Halloween can be a nightmare - It doesn't matter if you're driving or walking, drinking on Halloween can be a deadly choice. The combination of alcohol and the increased number of people walking in the streets at night makes Halloween the most dangerous night of the year for pedestrians.
