Kids love the magic of Halloween, but costume and traffic safety are essential for trick-or-treaters. These tips from the National Safety Council (NSC) can help make a safe and happy holiday for everyone.

Costume Safety

To help ensure adults and children have a safe holiday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has compiled a list of Halloween safety tips: https://www.fda.gov/.../halloween-safety-tips-costumes...

• All costumes, wigs and accessories should be fire-resistant
• If children are allowed out after dark, fasten reflective tape to their costumes and bags, and/or give them glow sticks
• Choose nontoxic Halloween makeup over masks, which can obscure vision; always test makeup in a small area first to see if any irritation develops
• Remove all makeup before children go to bed to prevent skin and eye irritation

Trick or Treating Safety

Children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than on any other day of the year. In addition to dark costumes and an increased volume of young pedestrians, lack of visibility, due to low lighting at night, also plays a factor in these incidents.

Keep these tips in mind when your children are out on Halloween night:

• A responsible adult should accompany young children on the neighborhood rounds
• If your older children are going out alone, plan and review an acceptable route together
• Agree on a specific time children that should return home
• Teach your children to never enter a stranger's home or car
• Instruct children to travel only in familiar, well-lit areas and to stick with their friends
• Tell your children not to eat any treats until they return home, and to take care to avoid any food allergies

Safety Tips for Motorists

The National Safety Council (NSC) offers these additional safety tips for parents – and anyone who plans to be on the road during trick-or-treat hours:

• Watch for children walking on roadways, medians, and curbs
• Enter and exit driveways and alleys carefully
• At twilight and later in the evening, watch for children in dark clothing
• Discourage new, inexperienced drivers from driving on Halloween

For more seasonal safety tips, visit: https://www.nsc.org/communi.../safety-topics/seasonal-safety

Credit to: National Safety Council (NSC)

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