Tips for Staying Safe on Halloween

Halloween has been loved by children and families for many decades. It is a time for individuals to experience the magic and be whoever you want to be. Trick-or-treaters are all over the streets, running and/or driving from house to house. With this increase in foot and vehicle traffic comes greater risk of personal injury.

At Ron Bell Injury Lawyers, although we hope injuries don’t occur, we understand the higher chance of them during holiday celebrations. In attempt to keep our community safe this Halloween, we researched best practices and comprised a list of safety tips that we encourage each person to take into consideration.

Trick-or-Treating Safety

Although Halloween is considered a kid-friendly holiday, children are at a much greater risk of injury on this day. In fact, on average, children are more than twice as likely to be struck by a car on Halloween than on any other day of the year. According to Safe Kids Worldwide, the following tips are best to keep in mind to ensure your child’s safety:

1. Make yourself visible to other trick-or-treaters and passing cars. Whether you choose to carry glow sticks, flashlights, or to simply stick some reflective tape on your costume, it is important to be easily seen.
2. Kids under the age of 12 should be accompanied by an adult.
3. Only cross at crosswalks.
4. Choose and wear a costume that fits. An oversized costume increases the risk of tripping and falling. Wearing a costume that fits well will limit that chance.

Driving Safety

Whether you’re chauffeuring trick-or-treaters or simply just driving on our public roadways, it is important to be increasingly aware of pedestrians and your surroundings on Halloween. The National Safety Council has provided a few safety tips for drivers in preparation for the upcoming holiday:

1. Watch for children walking on, along, and across roadways. Although it is encouraged for parents to go over safety rules before trick-or-treating, it is common for kids to get excited and sprint to the next house. Being on high alert for any and all pedestrians is the best way to avoid inflicting harm on another.
2. Enter and exit driveways/alleys carefully. Turn on your turning signal to alert all surrounding people that you plan to turn, check for foot and vehicle traffic in all directions, and then slowly turn.
3. When it starts to get dark, go ahead and turn on your lights. Some Halloween costumes consist of darker material, which will make individuals harder to see in dimly-lit areas. At dusk, go ahead and turn on your headlights to prepare for lack of visibility.
4. Discourage new and inexperienced drivers from driving on Halloween. Halloween can be chaotic, with people everywhere and kids running across the street. Drivers who are not familiar with the rules and/or ways of the road should be encouraged not to drive.

Our team at Ron Bell Injury Lawyers will always encourage our community to have fun and enjoy themselves on days like Halloween, but we want to ensure your safety. Following all of the above tips will not guarantee your safety on Halloween, but it will decrease like likelihood of injury. Stay safe and Happy Halloween!