HALLOWEEN SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS

Halloween is an exciting, fun filled time for young people. Unfortunately, it can also be a time when accidents happen and for criminal activity. Follow the safety tips below so that parents, children and drivers, can help make Halloween safe for all.

Candy Tips and Information and Additional Safety Tips

Halloween Curfew Information
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Adults

•     Welcome trick-or-treaters with your porch lights and exterior lights on.
•      Patrol your street occasionally to discourage speeding motorists, acts of malicious mischief and crimes against children.
•     Report any suspicious or criminal activity to your police department immediately
•      Candlelit jack-o-lantems should be kept clear of doorsteps and landings. Consider the option of using flashlights instead of candles to light jack-o-lanterns.
•     Keep dogs and other pets away from doors so children will not become frightened.
•     Children should carry quarters or cellular telephones with them so they can call home if they need to.

Motorists

•     Exercise extreme caution when driving a vehicle. Be on alert for excited children, whose vision may be obscured by masks, darting out into traffic.
•     Motorists should avoid all unnecessary travel on Halloween evening, and when driving they should drive slowly and be alert to small children crossing streets.
•     Many accidents occur when motorists are backing vehicles out of driveways, unaware of the presence of small children.

Parents – Tell Trick-or-Treaters

•     Be home at ...XX:00 p.m. (Set a time limit for children to "trick-or-Treat." Also designate a specific route for them to take.)
•     Never Tick-or-Treat alone. Go with at least two friends for the entire evening.
•     Carry a flashlight and use it so drivers can see you and you can see hazards in the street as well as other people.
•     Cross only at street corners, never between parked cars, and never diagonally across an intersection.
•     Look in all directions before crossing the street, and obey all traffic signals. Walk, never run, across the street, and use sidewalks, not the street, for walking.
•     Do not accept rides from strangers. Do not take short cuts through backyards, alleys, or parks.
•     Do not go inside anyone's home. Remain on the porch/front steps at all times.
•      Respect others and their property.
•     Only Trick-or-Treat at houses that have porch/exterior lights on.

Treats

•     Tell children not to eat treats until parents have inspected them.
•      Do not give homemade or unwrapped treats to children.
•     Discard any homemade or unwrapped treats.
•     Fruit should be sliced into small pieces and checked for foreign objects.

Costumes

A note to parents:

•     Make sure your children's costumes are not flammable.
•     Do not permit your child to use cumbersome, floor length or vision impaired costumes.
•     Reflective stripes make a costume more visible.
•      In lieu of masks, face makeup is recommended.
•      Wear comfortable, safe shoes.
•     Contact the police department if you suspect any tainted candy.