PG County 2016 Trick-or-Treating: Halloween Safety Tips

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — Halloween is a great time of year for both parents and kids, but most people probably don't realize just how high the risk of fire, accident and injury is on the holiday. The Prince George's County Fire Department is reminding people that there are steps they can take to stay safe on Oct. 31.

Every year, firefighters and paramedics see dangerous incidents on Halloween that could have been prevented by following some simple safety rules, according to a PGFD statement.

Door-to-door trick-or-treating is the highest risk activity. Between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Halloween, fire officials see a "significant increase" in falls, burns and pedestrians struck, officials say.

"Children are four and a half times more likely to be hit by a car on Halloween than on any other night during the year," the statement notes. "Falls are the leading cause of unintentional injuries on Halloween. Additionally, many parties and festivities are planned over the Halloween weekend which could result in an increase in adult alcohol consumption with inherent dangers."

A safer option is to attend a Halloween party at your local house of worship or school. You could also get together with the family to play games and engage in safer activities than wandering neighborhood streets.

If you do plan to go trick-or-treating, keep the following things in mind:

• Costumes should be made of flame-resistant light-colored fabrics, preferably with reflective qualities.
• Children should have flashlights, and not candles or torches. Discuss the proposed route and time of return with the family, and adults should accompany younger children.
• Visit only people you know in local, familiar neighborhoods, and avoid poorly lit houses.
• Avoid busy streets and always use sidewalks.
• Wait until you get home to eat Halloween treats, and inspect them beforehand.

Image via Wikimedia user Anders Lagerås