6 Tips for Staying Safe this Halloween

By Kevin Borrup, DrPH, JD, MPA is the Associate Director of Connecticut Children’s Injury Prevention Center

Everyone deserves a memorable, spooky- and safe- Halloween. Here are some Halloween safety rules of the road for all ages, to help make sure that happens. 

1. Go together: Plan on accompanying your child if they are trick-or-treating, especially if they are 12 years old or younger. Teens should always go in groups. 

2. Be seen: Have them carry a flashlight or a wear a glowstick; ones that can be connected into a necklace are perfect.  This will help children to be seen by drivers.  

3. Costume choices matter: If possible, try to keep the costumes bright for the same reason as stated above. Reflective tape and stickers are great on top of darker costumes, too. 

4. Consider face paint: Masks are fun, but at night, can obscure vision and contribute to the risk of a fall which is still a leading injury for youngsters. 

5. Beware of cars: Let your children know that just because they can see a car, it does not mean that the driver can see them. Have them stay out of the road, walk on sidewalks or on the grass next to the roadway.

6. Use your judgment: Although poisoning from candy is rare, parents should tell their children to let an adult inspect candy before they eat it.  If candy is unwrapped or something doesn’t look right, throw away the candy.

According to Safe Kids Worldwide, children are twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than any other day of the year. So when you drive home on October 31st, drive more slowly than usual, especially between 5:30 and 9:30 pm, and watch out for kids and adults who may be out and about in places you normally would not expect them to be.