Stay Safe this Halloween

For children Halloween is filled with zombies, princesses, and the quest for candy but for parents it also presents extra safety hazards. While parents do their best to protect their children every day, Halloween can raise issues that aren’t always top of mind. Take special precaution tonight to keep your children safe from the weather, drivers, and the goodies they consume.

Keep Costumes Creative but Safe

• Decorate costumes and bags with reflective tape or stickers and, if possible, choose light colors.
• Choose face paint and makeup whenever possible instead of masks, which can obstruct a child’s vision.
• Have kids carry glow sticks or flashlights to help them see and be seen by drivers.
• When selecting a costume, make sure it is the right size to prevent trips and falls.
• Your child may want to be a mermaid or a surfer but with temperatures in the low 40s warmth is key.

Drive with Extra Caution

• Slow down and be especially alert in residential neighborhoods. Children are excited on Halloween and may move in unpredictable ways.
• Take extra time to look for kids at intersections, on medians and on curbs.
• Enter and exit driveways and alleys slowly and carefully.
• Drive slowly, anticipate heavy pedestrian traffic and turn your headlights on earlier in the day to spot children from greater distances.

Walk Safely

• Cross the street at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks.
• Look left, right and left again when crossing and keep looking as you cross.
• Put electronic devices down and keep heads up and walk, don’t run, across the street.
• Teach children to make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them.
• Watch for cars that are turning or backing up. Teach children to never dart out into the street or cross between parked cars.

The dangers aren’t just in the act of trick-or-treating but lie in the “treats” as well. Be sure to check your child’s candy before letting them feast.

Here are a few things to look for:

• Expiration date
• Strange lumps
• Foreign objects
• Unwrapped, discolored, or stained
• Candy not in its original box or wrapper
• Unfamiliar odor
• Manufacturer you’ve never heard of

With these simple tips your family is sure to have a safe and enjoyable holiday. From all of us at McCoy & Hiestand, Happy Halloween!