Keep Halloween Sweet: Safety Tips for Motorists, Trick-or-Treaters, and Partygoers
Every Halloween, excited young children dressed in costumes take to their neighborhoods for trick-or-treating and grown-ups plan fun festivities of their own. Whether you are trick-or-treating with your family, attending a party, or simply traveling through a neighborhood, we must all be aware and do our part to keep the evening as safe as possible. Help Thomas J. Henry Law keep Halloween sweet and free of scary injuries by following these quick tips.
Trick-of-Treating Safety Tips
- Talk to your children about basic safety precautions before heading out to trick-or-treat. This includes walking slow and checking both ways before crossing a street.
- It is a good idea to have your child carry a glow stick, mini strobe light, or flashlight with them while trick-or-treating.
- If you see a drunk or impaired driver, report them immediately to local law enforcement.
- Always walk on the sidewalk if there is one available. If there isn’t a sidewalk, walk facing traffic as far off the road as you safely can.
- Use crosswalks when crossing streets where available.
- Be aware that even cautious drivers may be distracted by high pedestrian traffic.
- Children should travel in groups with supervision from an adult.
- After trick-or-treating is over, check your child’s candy thoroughly before allowing them to eat it. This includes checking ingredients for allergens and discarding any candy with broken or open wrappers.
Halloween Costume Safety Tips
Whether dressing up as a pirate, a celebrity, or an inanimate object, there are steps you can take to ensure that your costume won’t cause you any harm. Here are some tips from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA):
- Make sure your child is visible. Many Halloween costumes come in dark colors, so consider adding a strip of reflective material so motorists can spot your child more easily.
- Wear costumes that are flame resistant or made of flame-resistant materials, such as nylon and polyester.
- Decorative, colored, or non-prescription contact lenses should be avoided unless an eyecare professional has been consulted. These lenses can cause damage to the eye due to not being fitted properly.
- Test makeup on your arm before applying to the face to see if you are allergic. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics conducted a study that found traces of heavy metals, such as lead and cadmium, in many Halloween face paints marketed to kids.
- Exercise caution when wearing a mask or a long costume, both of which can cause tripping hazards.
- Remind your kids to take breathers. Wearing a mask on a hot costume for too long can cause discomfort and may make it difficult for your child to breathe.
Tips for Drivers
- Slow down when driving through residential neighborhoods, and obey every traffic sign and signal.
- Many young children trick-or-treating have their minds on candy, not safety. Be more cautious and alert than usual.
- Drive below the speed limit in heavily trafficked areas to give yourself more time to react if a child darts into the street.
- As is always true, do not drink and drive.
Tips for Adult Halloween Partygoers
- If you plan on drinking alcohol, plan on having a designated driver or another ride home, like a taxi or ridesharing service.
- Don’t let others drink and drive or walk home alone after drinking. Find them a sober ride home.
- Volunteer to drive others home if you have not consumed alcoholic beverages.
- Again, Do Not Drink and Drive!
Has Your Child Suffered a Serious Injury Due to an Accident?
If your child suffers an injury in an accident, contact Thomas J. Henry Law. Children are vulnerable to injury, especially when negligent individuals and property owners put their safety in jeopardy. Automobile accidents, unsafe premises, medical malpractice, and defective toys can all cause severe harm to our children.
When your child suffers from a severe injury, you need a law firm with experienced child injury attorneys and the legal resources to win your case. Thomas J. Henry Law has experience representing clients from across the nation in various types of accidents and obtaining record-breaking, real results.
