Halloween Safety
Halloween Safety Reminders
Review the basics with your kids
Make sure your kids understand and agree to some basics:
- Make a plan for which streets you’ll be visiting and try to include streets your kids are familiar with
- Only visit homes with a porch light on and a well-lit path
- Never enter a home or car for a treat
- Be sure you and your kids stay together as a group and walk single-file on sidewalks
- Make sure your kids don't go out on an emptry stomach to discourage filling up on candy
- Sort and check all candy at home, discarding unwrapped or unfamiliar items
Check for costume safety
Whether you’re creating a costume or buying one, there are easy ways to stay safe:
- Decorate costumes and bags with reflective tape or stickers and try to choose light colors
- Choose face paint and makeup instead of masks, which can obstruct a child’s vision.
- Have kids carry glow sticks or flashlights to help them see and be seen by drivers
- Make sure kids are wearing comfortable shoes and that costumes are short enough to prevent tripping.
Teach street safety
Make Halloween a teachable moment for kids to learn about their built environment and build smart sense on streets:
- Always cross the streets at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks. Remember the old rule: Look left, right, and left again when crossing and keep looking as you cross.
- Adults and kids should not be using phones or electronic devices while outside. Devices down and heads up.
- Teach kids to make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them.
- Watch for cars that are turning or backing up. Teach kids to never dart out into the street or cross between parked cars.
Prepare your home for visitors
- Remove tripping hazards and items that are hard to see at night
- Check outdoor lights and replace any burned-out bulbs
- Sweep wet leaves from sidewalks to prevent slipping.
- Restrain pets to keep them from jumping on trick-or-treaters
Drivers have an important role, too
If you’re driving on Halloween, you can help keep trick-or-treaters safe by being extra cautious.
- Slow down and be especially alert in residential neighborhoods.
- Take extra time to look for kids at intersections, on medians, and on curbs.
- Popular trick-or-treating hours are sundown to 9 pm — be especially alert for kids during these hours.
Learn more at Safe Kids Worldwide and Healthy Children.