Top five ways to have an awesome (and safe) Halloween

There are few days in the year that offer more excitement and fun for children than Halloween.

The opportunity to parade around as their favourite superhero or Disney princess or even a ghost, goblin, ghoul or monster thrills kids and offers a chance to make lasting memories with friends and family.

With all the excitement and hectic preparation for Halloween events, common safety rules can easily be overlooked.

Candlelit jack-o-lanterns, flimsy costumes and unsafe treats are just some of the risks that kids face on Halloween.

Staff Sergeant Jane Martynuck of the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service notes that the most important safety concern for trick-or-treaters is for kids to “be aware of the traffic around them.”

She suggests that kids follow the rules of the road by walking on sidewalks and crossing at street corners and wear costumes that contain bright, highly visible colours. 

The Sault Ste. Marie Safe Communities Partnership wants to offer you a few more tips to help ensure that everyone in our community can enjoy this day safely. 

Tips for Parents and Caregivers

1. Help your kids choose brightly coloured costumes for the evening’s festivities to increase their visibility for motorists. If your child is set on wearing the darkest, most spooky costume available, place strips of bright reflective tape on the back and front of the costume and their treat bag.

2. Prepare an early dinner before kids leave the house to help them avoid the urge to snack on uninspected candy while trick-or-treating. When kids arrive home from their journey, check to see that all packaging is completely sealed and free of tampering. Discard anything that’s not sealed, has torn packaging or looks questionable.

3. Pin a piece of paper with your child’s name, address and phone number inside your child’s pocket or on their candy bag in case they get separated from their friends or adult supervisors. 

If your child does become separated from their group, Staff Sergeant Martynuck recommends, “The child should approach an adult that is with another group of children, because the adult can call the police or the child’s parent to help resolve the situation.” 

4. Plan for a traditionally chilly Sault Ste. Marie Halloween night by choosing costumes that can be worn over warm clothing, but are not baggy enough to create tripping hazards.

5. Work together with your kids to draw a map outlining the trick-or-treat route they should follow. This will help them find their way home and ensure they avoid wandering to an unknown location in pursuit of more candy. Mark the homes of friends and relatives on the map in case kids need assistance on their adventure. Develop a timeline for when your kids should be heading home so that they maintain an established curfew.

Tips for Drivers

1. Drive slowly and with caution in residential areas where children are more likely to be trick-or-treating. Don’t pass stopped vehicles, as the driver might be dropping off children who need to cross the road.

2. Watch out for kids who may not be paying attention to traffic and may be wearing costumes with masks that make it difficult for them to see. 

3. Reduce distractions and stay focused on the road by ensuring cell phones and loud music are turned off.

4. Enter and exit driveways slowly and carefully, as trick-or-treaters may run on sidewalks, or dart out unexpectedly. 

5. Communicate with other drivers by using your turn signals. If you have to pull over to drop off or pick up your kids, turn on your hazard lights.

Tips for Trick-or-Treaters

1. Walk, don’t run from house to house and stay on the sidewalk or at the side of the road facing traffic for your entire Halloween journey. 

2. Don’t criss-cross back and forth across the street to collect candy from houses. Only cross at the corners of streets and make sure you look both ways before doing so. Work your way to houses up one side of the street, and then start on the other.

3. Carry a flashlight with fully charged batteries and a cellphone while trick-or-treating. The flashlight will help make you more visible to motorists and you can use the cellphone to contact your parents or the police in case of an emergency.

4. Only visit houses that are well lit and have their outside lights turned on. Do not enter anyone’s home or their vehicles. 

5. No matter how tempting, don’t eat any of your treats before you get home. Have your parents look through your treats with you to make sure that everything is safe. Being patient while inspecting your treats will make eating them much more satisfying!

Martynuck says she would like the community to know that police cruisers will be patrolling across the city, making sure that everyone is able to participate in a fun and safe Halloween. 

The Sault Ste. Marie Safe Communities Partnership wants to wish everyone a happy Halloween.

We hope that these safety tips will help everyone enjoy Halloween to the fullest. 

Nicolas Turco – Strategic and Human Resources Coordinator

Written on behalf of Sault Ste. Marie Safe Communities Partnership