Keep Your Trick or Treaters Safe on Halloween

Halloween is an exciting time in the lives of youngsters who have been carefully planning and selecting their costumes for weeks now. As children look forward to all the excitement of dressing up and going door to door to receive their Tricks and Treats, parents need to remember a few important tips to help ensure the safety of their children.

Twice as many children will be killed while walking on Halloween than any other day of the year, according to Safe Kids USA. Also, Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, when there is typically increased traffic at night with many people going out to eat dinner and perhaps enjoying an alcoholic beverage or two. Drivers can be easily distracted by the entertaining parade of costumes going down the sidewalk, increasing the likelihood of a pedestrian getting hit by a car. Parents need to be especially vigilant to protect their kids.

Safe Kids USA gives the following recommendations to parents and children to ensure that trick or treating remains a safe and fun time for all. Children should:

1. Always trick-or-treat with an adult until age 10
2. Only trick-or-treat in familiar areas that are well lit
3. Cross streets at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks look left, right and left again when crossing; always walk, don’t run, when crossing streets
4. Make eye contact with drivers and watch for cars that are turning or backing up
5. Walk on sidewalks or paths; if there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible
6. Never dart out into the street or cross in between parked cars
7. Wear light-colored, flame-retardant, costumes decorated with retro-reflective tape or stickers
8. Wear well-fitting, sturdy shoes to prevent trips and falls
9. Carry a flashlight or glow stick to increase visibility to drivers
10. Wear face paint and makeup; a mask can restrict a child’s vision

Have a fun and safe Halloween from all of us at the Studstill Firm, LLP!