Here are some important Halloween safety tips that every parent should know:
- Purchase or make Halloween costumes from flame-resistant materials.
- Pick brightly colored costumes or add your own reflective tape so motorists can see them.
- Attach your child’s name, address, and phone number somewhere inside the costume.
- An adult should always accompany children under age 12.
- To avoid tripping, make sure your child’s costume is not too long, and that shoes are the proper size.
- Plan the route your children are going to take, especially if they’re going out unsupervised. They should go in a group.
- Teach your children never to respond to a driver or pedestrian that calls out to them.
- Make sure your children don’t eat any candy or food without checking with you first.
- Tell your children not to go to homes with barking, jumping dogs and not to approach any stray animals.
- Make sure your children have flashlights, especially if they’re staying out after dark.
- Establish an appropriate curfew for children to return home.
- Don’t hand out candy that could be a possible choking hazard to younger children.
- Teach your children to stay on the sidewalks and cross streets only at corners.
- Teach your children to look, listen and be aware of cars not stopping at corners.
- Teach your children to only go to houses with porch lights on and to never enter anyone’s house. -Teach your child how to call 911 for any emergency
Motorists should:
- Watch for children darting out from between parked cars
- Watch for children walking on roadways, medians and curbs.
- Enter and exit driveways and alleys carefully.
- At twilight and later in the evening, watch for children in dark clothing.
-Drive with extreme caution on Halloween and expect the unexpected from pedestrians.
