Your child’s costume also needs to be considered when planning out a safe Halloween night. The Bracebridge OPP suggests making sure your kids are wearing bright clothes. This will help drivers in the area know where your kids are. The OPP has says you should opt for face paint instead of using a mask. The OPP says masks can limit your child ability to watch their surroundings. You might also want to watch out for open flames from jack-o-lanterns, especially if your kids are wearing wigs or long material that could catch fire.
Other tips to think about this Halloween:
- Know your treaters’ route
- Take a flashlight
- Remind kids not to enter strangers’ homes or cars.
- Set rules about not eating treats until kids get home. Be sure to inspect all treats before allowing kids to eat them.
- Candy that has been opened should be thrown away. Any homemade treats or fruit should be inspected closely.
- Remember drivers have a hard time seeing people, especially at dusk.
- Never cross the street from between parked cars.
- Watch open flames from jack-o-lanterns as they can catch costumes and long wigs on fire.
- Make sure that fake knives, swords, and guns are made from cardboard or other flexible materials to avoid accidental injury or worse, have them mistaken for the real thing!
It is important to ensure that your home is safe and accessible to trick-or-treaters. As adults there are some very simple things we can do to make the evening safe everyone.
- Turn on your porch light.
- Move lit jack-o-lanterns off the porch where kids get bunched up if they are trick-or-treating in groups.
- Remove objects from your yard that might present a hazard.
- Drive slowly all evening-you never know what creature may suddenly cross your path.
- Report any suspicious or criminal activity to the police.