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How to keep kids safe this Halloween

By Beth Gibson on October 27, 2015

We all want our children to have fun at Halloween, but also to stay safe. Here are eight quick tips to help you do both this year:

1. When selecting costumes, keep in mind that children need to be highly visible at night. Light-colored costumes work best, preferably with reflective tape or stickers. Flashlights and glow sticks also help.
2. Make sure kids’ shoes fit well and that their outfits aren’t so long that they cause tripping.
3. Children’s eyes should have plenty of clearance from wigs and hats. Masks can also impair their vision. Face paint works great because it creates a disguise while still allowing good vision.
4. Children under 12 should be accompanied by an adult. Trick-or-treating is a good time to practice pedestrian safety tips together:
5. Teach children to cross streets at the corners or in crosswalks, and follow traffic signals. Remind them to walk, not run, in the street. And help them watch for cars coming and going from driveways. If there’s no sidewalk, show kids how to walk while facing traffic, as far off the road as possible.
6. Go early, and trick-or-treat in familiar neighborhoods. Consider a front porch light turned off to be a “no trespassing” sign.
7. Young people over age 12 who go trick-or-treating or out without adults should go in groups. Remind them they shouldn’t enter the house of anyone they don’t know, and they should pay close attention to their surroundings, which means giving electronics a rest.
8. Inspect all sugary loot when kids get home. Better safe than sorry.

We at GibsonSingleton Virginia Injury Attorneys hope you have a safe and happy Halloween!