Tips for a Fun, Safe Trick-Or-Treating Season
For the festive Halloween season, please keep these safety facts and tips in mind:
- Approach only houses that are lit.
- Avoid wearing masks while walking from house to house.
- Battery-powered jack o'lantern candles are preferable to a real flame. If you do use candles, place the pumpkin well away from where trick-or-treaters will be walking or standing.
- Carry a flashlight.
- Carry only flexible knives, swords, or other props.
- Don't cut across yards or driveways.
- Healthy food alternatives for trick-or-treaters include packages of low-fat crackers with cheese or peanut butter filling, single-serve boxes of cereal, packaged fruit rolls, mini boxes of raisins, and single-serve packets of low-fat popcorn that can be microwaved later. Non-food treats include plastic rings, pencils, stickers, erasers, and coins.
- If there is no sidewalk, walk on the left side of the road facing traffic.
- Make sure costumes don't drag on the ground.
- Make sure paper or cloth yard decorations won't be blown into a flaming candle.
- Make sure your yard is clear of such things as ladders, hoses, dog leashes, and flower pots that can trip the young ones.
- Obey traffic signals.
- Pets get frightened on Halloween. Put them up to protect them from cars or inadvertently biting a trick-or-treater.
- Shoes should fit (even if they don't go with your costume).
- Stay away from and don't pet animals you don't know.
- Stay in familiar neighborhoods.
- Stay on sidewalks.
- Walk, don't run.
- Wear a watch you can read in the dark.
- Wear clothing with reflective markings or tape.