Stay Safe This Halloween

When you think of Halloween, fun things like candy and costumes come to mind. But Halloween is also a dangerous night, as both vehicle and pedestrian traffic increases. Vigilance and early planning can help to ensure safety.

If you have surveillance cameras, they can help give you a sense of security and deter bad behavior. Before Halloween night, be sure that your security cameras are working properly. If you are out trick-or-treating or at a party, you can access your live feed to ensure that your property is safe. If you are at home, you can see when trick-or-treaters approach while monitoring for mischievous behavior or vandalism.

Below are more Halloween safety tips to keep your kids and loved ones safe.

• Avoid oversized costumes or costumes with excessive flowing fabric, such as capes or long sleeves. These pose a risk as loose clothing can graze a jack-o-lantern or open flame. Also, oversized costumes can cause kids to trip and fall. Be sure that costumes fit appropriately and check to see that shoelaces are tied before heading out.

• If possible, choose a brightly colored costume that drivers can spot easily. You can also use reflective tape or stickers, glow sticks or flashlights to increase visibility.

• Face paint and makeup are a safer choice than masks, which may obstruct vision. If a mask is worn, make sure that it fits properly and securely, and whenever possible, cut large eye holes.

• Inspect the treats. Anything that is tampered with, has loose wrappers, or just doesn’t seem right should be disposed. Also, homemade treats should be trashed, unless you know the person who gave it to your child and are sure that it is safe.

• Children under the age of 13 should always be supervised by an adult. Older teens should trick-or-treat in groups and have a set curfew. Creating a route ahead of time will help to keep track of your kids as well.

• Walk slowly. As with any other night, be mindful of cars and make eye contact with drivers. Always walk on sidewalks and cross at the crosswalks or traffic signals. If there are no sidewalks, then it is strongly advised to walk facing traffic and as far to the left as possible.

• Children should only go to well-lit houses and remain on the porch within street view. Also, remind children to never cross between parked cars and to look both ways before crossing.

• Drivers: back out slowly while keeping a watchful eye for children. High times for trick-or-treating are usually from 5:30pm-9:30pm. Distracted driving is dangerous and illegal, on Halloween and every day. If you must, pull over and park in a safe location, otherwise, it can wait.

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