Avoiding dangerous situations during Halloween can mean simply using a little common sense to make the holiday a great one and keeping it from turning into a tragedy, says the Reno Police Department.
The Reno Police Department recommends that parents plan children’s Halloween activities by teaching them and helping them practice basic everyday safety such as not getting into cars with people they don’t know, not talking to strangers, watching both ways before crossing streets and crossing only when the traffic lights allow.
The Reno Police Department also suggests the following common sense tips to help make Halloween trick-or-treat activities fun and safe:
• Costumes purchased at stores or made at home should be made of materials that are fire resistant and have eye holes large enough for good peripheral vision, which is especially important for safely crossing streets. Costume props should be flexible enough to not cause injury if fallen on. • The use of any toy or simulated gun as a prop is not recommended. • Instruct children to never go into the home of a stranger or get into their car. • Make sure children carry a flashlight, glow stick or that they have reflective materials on costumes to make them more visible at night, especially when crossing streets. • Younger children should never be allowed to go out alone on Halloween. They should be accompanied by an adult or teen aged sibling. Parents should make sure that older children are old enough and responsible enough to go out on their own. • Parents should plan a safe trick-or-treat route that includes stopping only at familiar houses in their own neighborhood. • Be sure to instruct older children to trick-or-treat in a group with other older children, to stay only in populated places and well lighted areas, and not to go off the beaten path or cut through back alleys and fields. • Parents should know the routes older children will be taking, set a time for their return home and make sure they understand the importance of being home on time. • Be sure to instruct children not to eat any treats until they are brought home to be inspected by an adult. • Adults should keep well informed about other activities their children may be attending or participating in such as parties, school or other functions. • Explain to children the difference between tricks and vandalism More Halloween safety tips can be found at http://halloween-safety.com. Parents can establish a Halloween tradition of safe practices that children will pass on to their own families some day by practicing common sense, says the Reno Police Department.