Spooky Season: How to Safely Enjoy Halloween

Halloween is a very popular time of year. The promise of free candy, chilly air, colorful costumes, and uninhibited fun combine to make a night full of delight and enjoyment. Unfortunately, this night also holds a lot of potential for danger. It is important to not only enjoy Halloween, but to enjoy it safely.

Reflective Clothing

Trick-or-treating brings large numbers of children, teenagers, and adults out into the sidewalks after dark. This type of heavy pedestrian traffic can lead to some serious accidents involving cars.

A very simple way to increase your safety as a pedestrian on Halloween night is to utilize reflective items that enhance your visibility. This can be achieved by either wearing reflective clothing or placing reflective tape on your costume in visible areas. As an added protection, also consider wearing things that light up or glow.

Responsible Drinking

Drinking alcohol is a popular pastime among parents as well as wild teenagers who will either be out with friends or at a Halloween party. Unfortunately, this can also lead to a large number of drunk drivers. If you find yourself in a situation where you are inebriated, there are many options available to you.

You can call a friend or a family member to pick you up, you can call a taxi service, you can walk home (if you live close), or you could call a designated driver service. Any option is better than harming yourself or others by drinking and driving. You can enjoy delicious drinks from HWC without placing yourself and others at risk.

Plan Your Route

To prevent you or your children from becoming lost or accosted, plan your trick-or-treating route beforehand. Be sure to leave a copy of your route behind at your home in case of an emergency.

Try to travel in a large group to dissuade anyone from targeting you with malicious intent. There are apps available to download onto your phone that will track your location or the location of your children should you need to find them.

Check Your Candy

It is always a good idea to check your children's Halloween candy before allowing them to consume it. Even if you're an adult or a teenager, you should check your candy as well. Better to be safe than sorry. There are tips available on how to properly check your candy and how to spot signs of tampering.

Danger and predators don't take the night off simply because it's Halloween. In fact, predators count on the carefree merriment of the holiday to lower your guard and be more susceptible. As an added means of protection, always carry a legal defensive item just in case.