Safety tips for kids, tweens and teens:
- Remember reflective tape for costumes and trick-or-treat bags.
- Remain on well-lit streets and always use the sidewalk.
- If no sidewalk is available, walk at the far edge of the roadway facing traffic
- 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, keep heads up and walk, don’t run, across the street.
- Choose face paint and makeup whenever possible instead of masks, which can obstruct a child’s vision.
- Carry glow sticks or flashlights to help you see and be seen by drivers.
- Never enter a home or car for a treat. Notify law enforcement authorities immediately about any suspicious or unlawful activity.
Safety tips for grownups:
- 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.
- Get rid of any distractions - like your phone - in your car so you can concentrate on the road and your surroundings.
- Popular trick-or-treating hours are 5:30 p.m. to 9:30
- p.m. Be especially alert for kids during those hours. Always accompany young children on their neighborhood rounds.
- If your older children are going alone, plan and review the route that is acceptable to you. Agree on a specific time when they should return home and get flashlights with batteries for everyone.