Halloween 2017: Trick-Or-Treating Safety Tips

For children, Halloween is something of a precursor to Christmas. It's an exciting time for them, a chance to dress up in costumes and receive free candy from kind strangers and partake of spooky delights.

But Halloween can also be dangerous. For one thing, kids get really excited as they prepare for Halloween, and parents should be extra vigilant that their children don't dart into the street as they make their candy runs.

Hold your child's hand in traveling the streets in search of candy — more so than on other days — especially if your child is a toddler.

To get the most out of trick-or-treating, children and parents alike should use good common sense, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police say.

Here are CMPD’s safety tips for children to remember as they prepare for trick-or-treating this Halloween:

• Be sure your parents know where you are going.
• Go with a group or 3 or more people.
• If you feel unsafe, take along an adult.
• Do NOT ride a bicycle. Your costume could get hung up in it.
• Carry a flash Light.
• Walk on a sidewalk.
• If a sidewalk is not available, walk on the left side of the road facing traffic.
• Cross busy streets at an intersection or cross walk.
• Be sure to look both ways (2 times) before crossing the street.
• Walk, don’t run.
• Take off your mask while walking from house to house.
• It is a good idea to wear clothing with reflective tape.
• If you wear a mask, be sure you can see out of it clearly.
• Be very cautious of strangers.
• Only stop by houses that have their front porch light on.
• Accept treats only in the doorway. NEVER go into the house.
• Let your parents check your treats before you eat them.
• Never eat unwrapped candy, opened candy or fruit given to you on Halloween.

Also See: 8 cute Halloween costumes for babies

CMPD also has these Halloween tips for parents:

• Make sure that an adult or an older responsible youth will be supervising the outing for children under age 12.
• Plan and discuss the route trick-or-treaters intend to follow. Know the names of older children's companions. Set a time limit.
• Instruct your children to travel only in familiar areas and along an established route.
• Teach your children to stop only at houses or apartment buildings that are well-lit and never to enter a stranger's home.
• Feed the kids before they go so they will be less likely to eat the treats before they get home. Warn them not to eat anything before you inspect it.
• Review all appropriate trick-or-treat safety precautions, including pedestrian/traffic safety rules.
• Pin a slip of paper with the child's name; address and phone number inside a pocket in case the child gets separated from the group.
• Welcome trick-or-treaters with your porch lights and any exterior lights on.
• Patrol your street occasionally to discourage speeding motorists, acts of malicious mischief and crimes against children.
• Report any suspicious or criminal activity to your police department immediately; you can dial 9-1-1.
• Candlelit jack-o-lanterns should be kept clear of doorsteps and landings.
• Consider using flashlights instead of candles to light jack-o-lanterns.
• Keep pets away from doors so children will not become frightened.

Patch Editor Tony Cantu contributed to this article.

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