Officials recommend the following tips for a safe Halloween night:
- Costumes should be easy to walk in and short enough to avoid tripping. They should be made out of non-flammable material and easy to see in the dark. Reflective tape sewn onto the costume works well.
- Trick-or-treaters should plan their route ahead of time, picking streets that are in familiar neighborhoods and well lit.
- Young children should never trick-or-treat without an adult or older sibling. Older children who trick-or-treat without an adult should do so in a group with the route and return time approved by the caretaker. A flashlight or glow stick should be carried to light the way and to be more visible to cars.
- Only go to homes with the porch light on.
- Trick-or-treaters should cross only at corners, never between parked cars or in the middle of the block. When possible, they should stay on the sidewalk. If there isn’t a sidewalk, they should stay as far left of the roadway as possible and walk facing traffic. When approaching a house, they should watch for candles in Jack-O-Lanterns or other decorations that may catch clothes on fire.
- Trick-or-treaters should never go into the home of a stranger, even if they are invited in.
- Candy should not be eaten until after it has been checked out by an adult. Treats not in their original packaging should be thrown away. Any suspicious candy should be reported to the Police Department as soon as possible.
- Drivers should remember to watch for children trick-or-treating as they might forget to watch out for you.