To help ensure adults and children have a safe holiday, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office offer the following Halloween safety tips, including do’s and don’ts on the trick-or-treat trail:
A parent or responsible adult should always accompany young children on the neighborhood rounds.
If older children are mature enough to go without an adult, plan and review a route that is safe. Make sure that the route is in a familiar, well-lit area. Your child should go with a group, but know who your children are with, where they are going and when they should return home.
Talk to your kids about safety issues. Tell them to only go to homes with a porch light on, not to enter homes or cars of strangers, eat any candy before a parents looks at it, or play tricks that could hurt someone or damage property. If possible, send kids trick-or-treating before dark.
Children and adults are reminded to put electronic devices down, keep heads up and walk, don’t run, across the street. It is a good idea to carry a flashlight or a glow stick and add reflective tape to your child’s costume to help them be more visible to drivers.
Keep the costume length short enough to prevent your child from tripping and falling.
Try to use face-paint instead of masks, which can obstruct vision. If a mask is worn, cut the eye holes larger or encourage your child to take it off when walking and crossing the street.
When trick or treating in a neighborhood with busy traffic, it is safest to cross the street at intersections. Never cross the street between parked cars or in the middle of the block. If there is no sidewalk, walk facing traffic.
As a motorist, be patient and take your time. Expect to stop frequently as youngsters run from house to house or as families prepare to cross the street. Allow plenty of time so you can take as many precautions as possible, especially in high-traffic neighborhoods.
Watch for children walking on roadways, medians and curbs. Enter and exit driveways and alleys carefully. Pedestrians may not be immediately visible from your vehicle, especially if you are driving through an unlit area. Trick-or-treaters may be dressed entirely in black, making them virtually impossible to spot. So slow down and scan the area around your car carefully.
Be alert for cars transporting trick-or-treaters. A growing trend in recent years involves parents driving their children from house to house, pulling up to each driveway and waiting while their children run to the door and back. If you are behind one of these vehicles, do not pass it quickly or without carefully checking the area as you move forward slowly. The vehicle may block your view of children that are running towards another house or across the street.
And as always, keep a vigilant watch of your neighborhood — report any suspicious or criminal activity to law enforcement.
Have a safe and Happy Halloween!