Your Halloween Safety Guide

Halloween is a fun holiday for both children and adults alike. Many people participate in the tradition of wearing costumes and going trick-or-treating to get candy from friends and neighbors. Here are some ways to increase safety when enjoying Halloween.

Make The Costume Seen
Add reflective tape to the back of dark outfits to help illuminate them when on the streets trick-or-treating. This will allow vehicles to see the costume from afar. Use glow-sticks or blinking lights along with the costume to make it noticeable as well.

Stay In A Group
When trick-or-treating, it is best to stay in a group so vehicles will know to slow down when they see the people in the street. It is also a good idea to stay in a group so no one tries to intimidate a lone trick-or-treater. Costumed people can be scary enough since no one can tell anyone’s identity. Keep safe by sticking together with friends and family.

Use Wheels
If there are toddlers in a trick-or-treating crowd, strollers are recommended as walking long distances can become tiresome very quickly. This way someone can push the stroller to bring the child back home rather than risk having a melt-down or tired toddler who is falling down because of overexertion. This can lead to scraped knees, a bump on the head, or a vehicle not seeing the child on the ground.

Park Appropriately
Parking a vehicle in a centralized location to where trick-or-treating will be taking place will ensure a ride that is not too far away. If there was an emergency, the vehicle can be reached easily as well.

Bring A Cell
Someone in the group should have a cell phone available in case of any type of emergency while trick-or-treating or at a party where others are not familiar because of costumes. Make sure it is charged before leaving for the event and keep it securely hidden in an interior pocket of a costume so it is not at risk for falling out on the street. Check in with someone at home every half an hour or so to let them know where the group is currently walking.

Keep It Familiar
Stay in areas that are familiar. When travelling to a strange town during Halloween, do trick-or-treating in public locations such as shopping centers, grocery stores, or daytime town events. In town, only trick-or-treat at homes where the owners are known. Stay away from stranger’s homes completely.

Check All Goodies
After trick-or-treating is over, check over every piece of consumable goods for rips or tears in wrappers, puncture holes, or discoloring. If something looks suspicious, do not allow anyone to eat it. Avoid eating anything collected while trick-or-treating while out on the roadways. Wait until getting home so the food can be checked. If there is an obvious tampering with a piece of candy or treat, call the police to alert them of the situation.

Tell Others
When going to a party at someone’s home or trick-or-treating through town, it is a good idea for someone else to be alerted. If the participants do not return home in a timely manner, the person alerted can follow up by driving to find them or be calling the police to check on their whereabouts. Tell someone the exact route planned to be walked while trick-or-treating so they can drive the streets where the group was known to be walking.