Halloween is a holiday that our little ghosts and goblins look forward to all year long. It’s not only a time for our children to dress up in spooky costumes, but it’s also a time they get to carouse the neighborhood for sweet treats.
Unfortunately, Halloween can be a little tricky from a child-safety standpoint. Your child is more likely to be injured, and even killed, in a pedestrian accident during Halloween than during any other night of the year. To help to keep our kiddies safe, our Highland personal injury attorneys are here with some safe Halloween tips from the Indiana State Police.Keeping Costumes Safe:
-Make sure that costumes are short to prevent any trip and fall accidents.
-Try to use face makeup instead of a full face mask. A mask can obstruct your child’s line of sight. This makes it difficult to safely cross the street and tough to go up and down stairs safely.
-Make sure that children’s costumes are light colors. Try putting reflective tape on their costumes to help to make them more visible to drivers passing by.
While Trick-or-Treating:
-Make sure that older children trick-or-treat with friends. Never allow them to trick-or-treat alone. Always accompany young children and everyone should travel in a group.
-Make sure that everyone has a safe route. Never trick-or-treat in neighborhoods that are dark or have dangerous roads.
-Make sure children know to only approach homes that have outdoor lights on.
-Always walk on sidewalks and on driveways. You never want to cut across someone’s front yard.
-Try to start trick-or-treating early. Avoid trick-or-treating after the sun sets and when it gets dark. Motorists are less likely to see you when it’s dark out.
-Give all children flashlights so that they can see where they are going and so that drivers can see them better.
-If your community has designated trick-or-treating hours, make sure that you and your family follow them.
Handling the Goods:
-Make sure children know not to try out any of their candy before they get home or before a parent can look over it.
-Make sure that parents check out all of the candy in a well-lit place.
-Only consume candies that are unopened and are in their original wrappers. Toss out anything that is homemade, is in a different package or just look suspicious.
Drivers are asked to be extra careful when driving around town on Halloween night. Kids are going to be out in force. Make sure you travel below the speed limit to help to protect our young ones. Be ready for them. They don’t always understand the risks for injury that are associated with vehicular traffic. Be their saving grace and travel cautiously.
Remember that local schools, communities and churches even offer some safe alternatives to trick-or-treating. These kinds of programs are designed to keep kids off of the street and away from danger.
If your family is dealing with an injury, contact Highland Injury Attorney Burton A. Padove for a free and confidential appointment to discuss your case. Call 219-836-2200.
More Blog Entries:
Highland Traffic Safety Starts with Parents, Indiana Injury and Lawyer Blog, September 29, 2012
Elderly Drivers, Prescription Drugs & Driving Risks in Highland, Indiana Injury and Lawyer Blog, September 21, 2012