Talking Safety This Halloween

Child trick or treating with adult
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Halloween is coming up. If you are planning to have a scarily good time with your friends and family, you should start by planning how everyone can stay safe. Our whole team at the Law Offices of Wax & Wax want you to have the best Halloween ever, so we thought we’d share some quick safety tips everyone in your family should know.

Halloween safety for trick-or-treaters:

  • Bright costumes: All trick-or-treaters should integrate a bright color or reflective surface into their Halloween costumes. When walking around the streets and getting candy from the neighbors, there will be a heightened risk of a pedestrian accident. A trick-or-treater with a bright costume will be much easier for nearby drivers to see.
  • Flashlights: To further increase the visibility of a trick-or-treater, all kids should carry and use a flashlight once it starts getting darker. A flashlight will help your child avoid hazards on the sidewalk that could cause them to trip and fall while also letting drivers see them from further away.
  • Crosswalks: Trick-or-treaters should use a crosswalk when crossing the street whenever a crosswalk is available. This might mean extending the trick-or-treating circuit a little bit, but it is better to add time to the night than to risk an accident. If no crosswalk is available and your kids need to cross the street, then they should check both directions twice and proceed with caution.
  • Groups: The best way to improve safety while trick-or-treating is to go with a group. Specifically, children should be chaperoned by adults if they are too young to walk alone or if they aren’t familiar with the area.

Halloween safety for adults:

  • Sober drivers: Halloween night will see an increase in drunk drivers and car accidents caused by them, especially after midnight when parties start to end. To help keep the streets in your neighborhood safe for everyone, you should only drive sober.
  • Slower speeds: While traveling through a residential area on Halloween night, you should assume that there are trick-or-treaters around, even if you can’t see them. Slow down a little bit to give yourself more time to react in case a child in a spooky costume suddenly steps into the street.
  • Headlights: You can help trick-or-treaters see your vehicle by turning on your headlights as soon as trick-or-treating starts in your city. The sun might still be up yet switching on your headlights is still the right idea.
  • Candy checks: When your kid comes home from trick-or-treating, you should do a quick candy check. Look for any candy that might contain an allergen like peanuts. Some candy can also get ripped open while your child is walking around. It doesn’t mean that it has been tampered with – this practically never happens – but it does mean that the candy could be dirty and should be discarded.

We hope these safety tips help you and your family enjoy your Halloween!

– The Law Offices of Wax & Wax

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