YOUR GUIDE TO A SAFE AND FUN HALLOWEEN

For most of us, it’s hard not to enjoy Halloween. Endless candy, adorable kids showing off their costumes, themed cocktail parties that put a spooky spin on your favorite snacks, it’s all great! Unfortunately, Halloween is traditionally one of the busiest nights of the year for fire department crews.

Whether you’re rushing home from work or rushing out to a party, it’s not a night to be in a hurry, especially on residential roadways.

So this Halloween, proceed with caution. Be vigilant and watch the movements around you.

A few tips to remember for drivers and trick-or-treaters alike:

TODDLERS AND YOUNGER KIDS

• For your littlest trick-or-treaters, SPD recommends hitting the streets as early as possible. Daylight can make a big difference when it comes to keeping track of tiny tots.
• Even if it is light, they say keeping a flashlight on hand will help alert cars that someone is near. And don’t use your cell phone as a flashlight, as it should be fully charged in case of an emergency.
• Remind your little ones to stay close to an adult at all times. You can tell them listening and staying safe now means fun and treats later.
• Keep groups small to avoid losing someone in the candy rush:

OLDER KIDS AND TEENS

• Give your teens a little independence by reminding them about traffic hazards ahead of time.
• Ask them to use the crosswalk or go the corner when they need to cross the street. On street parking and dark costumes is a bad combination when it comes to moving vehicles. They usually can’t see kids jumping out from between parked cars late at night.
• Give your older kids their own flashlight or glow sticks. Any light will alert drivers that people are near.
• You can work with the city to get a permit to block off traffic to your neighborhood.
• Make sure kids stick to a neighborhood they know:

DRIVERS

• Remember trick-or-treating starts early. Watch for little trick-or-treaters who are out before dark.
• Drive slowly through neighborhoods with on-street parking. Kids are likely to jump out from behind cars in dark costumes.
• Police will be out in full force on Halloween night to protect families and watch for distracted drivers.
• Don’t wear a costume mask while driving on Halloween:

Q13Fox.com