During this time of year, we have many holidays to celebrate, including Halloween. Every year kids and adults alike dress up in costumes and partake in a variety of activities to have a good time. Whether you’re trick or treating or attending a Halloween party, it’s important to take extra precautions to ensure the safety of you and your loved ones. 

At ZenLyfe, we take safety seriously and strive to provide tips and tricks to help mitigate the risks and dangers of today’s world. Here are some tips to help keep you safe this Halloween. 

Walking Safety

On Halloween, many people decide to go trick or treating. This means you’re going to be doing a lot of walking around, whether it’s in neighborhoods or around busier streets. When trick or treating, you want to take extra precautions when walking from house to house. 

1. When crossing the street, use traffic signals and crosswalks. Avoid walking through traffic or areas that don’t have a crosswalk. Before crossing a street, look left, right, and left again, and keep looking as you cross. 
2. Avoid using electronics while walking. Keep your head up and your eyes alert to stay aware of your surroundings. 
3. If you’re trick or treating with children, teach them to make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them. This helps confirm that the drivers know they are crossing. 
4. Always walk on sidewalks or paths. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible. If your children are going trick or treating alone, encourage them to walk on direct routes with the fewest street crossings.
5. If walking through a parking lot, watch for cars that are turning or backing up. Teach children not to run out into the street or across parked cars. 
6. Join children under 12 for trick-or-treating. If the kids are old enough to go trick-or-treating without parental supervision, tell them to stick to familiar areas that are well-lit. You can also suggest they go trick-or-treating in groups.

Trick-or-Treating Safety

When trick-or-treating, it’s important to understand the many ways you can mitigate danger for you and your children. 

1. Decorate bags with reflective tape or glowsticks to help with visibility.
2. Have kids carry glowsticks or flashlights when trick-or-treating to help them see and be seen by drivers.
3. When selecting a costume, make sure it is the right size to avoid trips and falls.
4. Stick to trick-or-treating in areas where there are other people in case something goes wrong.
5. Avoid going up to houses that do not appear to be partaking in trick-or-treating activities. 
6. Be wary of receiving candy and treats from people on the street.
7. Before eating candy or treats given to you while trick-or-treating, inspect them to look for punctures or obvious rips and tears in the packaging. 
8. Teach your child to politely turn down home-baked items such as cupcakes and brownies, and never to taste or share another child's food.

Driver Safety

Halloween makes for a busy night with many people driving and walking around. As a driver on the road, you want to make sure you are aware of your surroundings and practicing responsible driving habits. 

1. Slow down and be especially alert in residential areas. Children are excited during Halloween and may move in unpredictable ways.
2. Take the extra time to look for kids in the street, on curbs or medians.
3. Enter and exit driveways and alleys slowly and carefully to avoid accidents.
4. Get rid of any distractions in the car so you can concentrate on the road and your surroundings.
5. Turn your headlights on earlier in the evening to spot trick-or-treaters from farther distances. 
6. Popular trick-or-treating hours are 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm. Be especially alert for kids and other people walking around during these hours. 

Home Safety

Whether you’re staying home to pass out candy or leaving to enjoy the festivities, you want to take the extra steps to keep your home safe and secure.

1. To keep the home safe for trick-or-treaters, remove any objects that could cause someone to trip and fall.
2. Replace outdoor lights or have some sort of light that helps trick-or-treaters spot the walkway.
3. Wet leaves or snow should be swept from sidewalks and steps.
4. Restrain pets so they don’t jump on or bite a trick-or-treater. 
5. If leaving for the night, ensure all windows are locked and closed, and every door in the house is secure. 
6. If you will not be home and decide to put candy out, leave a porch light on and a sign or note that states it is okay to take candy from the bowl.

Halloween is a fun time for people of all ages. While danger is not completely preventable, we can at least take the extra steps to help mitigate unnecessary risks caused by negligence. For more safety tips and tricks, subscribe to our blog to get them delivered directly to your inbox!