Trick Or Treat Safety Tips

• Plan a route. Before trick-or-treating, talk with your children about where you are going and how many houses you plan to visit. Stick to well-lit houses in familiar neighborhoods only—preferably on streets with sidewalks. 
• Supervise your children. Go along with your trick-or-treaters but also allow children to safely explore their world and grow their independence skills. Allow younger children to take the lead by ringing the doorbell and saying “Trick or Treat!” For older children, you may want to wait on the sidewalk at each house. 
• Make your children visible. Go early and carry flashlights. Give your children glow necklaces to wear and put reflective tape on their costumes or clothing. You can buy reflective tape at most hardware stores. 
• Stay on the sidewalks. Remind your children to stay on the sidewalks and avoid crossing yards. Lawn ornaments, furniture, and other impediments present tripping and falling dangers. Avoid taking shortcuts across backyards or alleys. 
• Cross at the corner. Stop at all street corners and stay together in a group before crossing. Cross streets at the corner, use crosswalks, and do not cross between parked cars. Remind your children over and over again to look left, right, and left again before crossing the street. 
• Drive carefully. Drive slowly and follow traffic signals and the rules of the road. Exit driveways and alleyways carefully. Have children get out of your car on the curb side, not on the traffic side. Watch for children in the street and on medians. Expect some children to dart out in front of you.