Many Americans look forward to Halloween, and kids love going trick-or-treating. While Halloween night can be a lot of fun, it’s vital for parents to recognize the need for safety while collecting candy. Injuries can happen from costume problems, low visibility, road and traffic hazards, and even eating too much.
This Halloween, remember the following safety tips for a fun and safe trick-or-treating experience with your children:
- Properly fitted costumes. Modern Halloween costumes are fairly complex and often feature awkwardly-fitting components. Parents should ensure their children’s costumes are the correct size and securely fitted. When ties become loose or costume pieces fall off, the child could suffer a slip and fall injury or other wounds. Parents need to take the time before trick-or-treating to check their kids’ costumes for any issues.
- Properly fitted masks. Kids who wear masks as part of their costumes need to ensure they can adequately see through them. Face paint is a great alternative for a mask because it won’t obstruct a child’s vision.
- Be visible. Have your child carry a flashlight in his or her treat bag while trick-or-treating. This will help in the evening when the sun sets and help your children find their way around in the dark. It also helps make your children more visible to others, including passing motorists. Parents should also consider having their children wear reflectors or reflective tape on their shoes and costumes.
- Candy trouble. Parents should carefully inspect their kids’ trick-or-treating loot before allowing them to eat anything. Discard any homemade or unwrapped treats to err on the side of caution and only allow children to have a few pieces of candy. Every year there are viral posts on social media warning parents that people are giving out candy laced with drugs or booby-trapped with nails and razorblades. Though rare, these incidents do happen and parents should discard any candy that looks suspicious.
- Good pedestrian habits. Make sure your children know how to properly and safely cross roads. Trick-or-treaters should only cross at crosswalks and intersections and always make eye contact with stopped motorists before crossing in front of them. This helps both parties acknowledge the child intends to cross and prevents pedestrian injuries. Make sure children know never to dart into the street between cars, especially at night.
- Proper supervision. Toddlers and young children require adult supervision while trick-or-treating. A responsible older child may be able to provide adequate supervision for younger siblings, but it is up to parents to use their best judgment in these situations. Older children who trick-or-treat with friends should have a cell phone or some way of keeping in touch with home.
- Drive with extra caution. All motorists on Halloween should exercise a higher degree of caution than other nights since lots of children will be walking the streets searching for candy. Make sure to turn on your car’s headlights while driving at night and abide by posted speed limit signs. If you are driving in an area with a lot of children trick-or-treating, it’s wise to slow down even more if traffic permits.
These are just a few ways to have a safer and more enjoyable experience this Halloween. If a trick-or-treating injury does occur due to negligence or unsafe premises, address your child’s medical needs immediately and then reach out to a Houston personal injury lawyer as soon as possible.
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For more information, contact the Houston personal injury law firm of Attorney Brian White Personal Injury Lawyers by calling (713) 500-5000.
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