Essential Halloween Safety Tips
The crisp fall aroma and sharpening cold air grabs at you when walk out to go trick-or-treating with the kids. The neighborhoods flood with children at dusk on the quest to fill their bags up brimming with candy and parade their favorite character. It is easy to get absorbed in the excitement of the moment and let some safety precautions go lax. Halloween is one of the most dangerous nights of the year for children so take a second to brush up on Halloween safety before you get wrapped up in all of the fun of the moment and ensure your family will have another Halloween to remember.
1. Have Your Kids Wear Reflective Clothing
Each child should wear some kind of light-colored or reflective clothing when they go out at night. They don’t need to go all-out and dress as neon-colored monsters, but some kind of bright orange or reflective patch will make it easier for drivers to see your kids once the sun goes down. Local hardware stores carry rolls of reflective tape that can be easily and quickly applied to any costume or clothing. It will also help to carry a flashlight to both alert others of their presence and allow them to see when it gets really dark.
2. Keep to the Sidewalks
Everyone knows that if you walk in the street you can zig zag across the street and hit more houses to get candy but it is a bad safety idea. Unfortunately, more children are hit by cars on Halloween than on any other night of the year. Most of these accidents can be avoided if children stick to sidewalks as they go door to door asking for candy. Drivers have a harder time seeing children in the dark because they are not taller than parked cars. If you are in a neighborhood that doesn’t have any sidewalks, have your kids walk along the side of the road instead. Never let them walk down the middle of the road.
3. Never Let Your Kids Go Out Alone
No matter how old or how responsible your children may be, you should never let them go trick-or-treating by themselves. If you have very young children who are new to trick-or-treating, they should be going out with you or with an adult that they and you trust completely rather than older children who will be easily distracted by the Halloween festivities. If you have older children above the age of 13 who would rather go out with their friends, make sure that they stick with their friends. They should be with other kids that you know and trust as well.
Have a great time trick-or-treating and as always in Colorado – make sure your Halloween costume can fit over a snowsuit. Who knows what our crazy weather will bring!
Happy and Safe Halloween from Smith & Willis Heating & Air Conditioning
