Halloween safety tips for parents and drivers: Keep those lil’ superheroes, zombies and ghosts safe!

We all love a good scare on Halloween – but not when it comes to kids’ safety. It’s important to keep kids safe on the road and at play while trick-or-treating. Here are some smart Halloween safety tips for parents and drivers.

For parents

• Make your kids glow in the dark so drivers can see you. Add bright, reflective strips to your child’s costume. Wear glowsticks (they make great dancing skeleton costumes). Bring a flashlight too – and don’t depend on your phone’s flashlight, as you may be using your phone for pics and videos.
• Make sure your goblin can see. Is it tough to see out of their Halloween mask? Here’s an idea: use face paint on your child instead. Choose costumes that are easy to move around in and won’t trip up your child.
• Walk, don’t run. Yes, your kiddo is excited to get that candy, but try to slow the pace down so drivers have time to see you.
• Safety in a gaggle of ghosts. Walk in groups where possible to help drivers see you and your children, especially when crossing the road.
• Plan your trick-or-treating route. Check out your planned route before Halloween, and look for risky spots to avoid. A safe plan is to start trick-or-treating down one side of the street before crossing to go up the other side.
• Talk safety before spooking. Just before the trickin’ and treatin’, go over these road safety rules with your ghouls.

• Never cross the street from behind a parked car. If you can’t see a car coming, the driver can’t see you.
• Cross the street where it’s safe. Always cross safely at a crosswalk, stop sign or designated intersection.
• Eyes, eyes, eyes. Always look both ways and make eye contact with drivers before you cross the street.

For drivers

• Choose a spook-free route. Avoid residential neighbourhoods and subdivisions where possible. These are candy-rich areas that will be packed with cute little ghouls and goblins.
• Keep an eye on the clock. Trick or treaters are usually out in the greatest numbers from 6pm-9pm.
• Drive slow to avoid scares. Reduce your speed and drive slowly through candy-rich residential areas. Driving at least 10 km/h slower in neighbourhoods makes a huge difference if you have to stop suddenly.
• Who ya gonna call? Nobody. Avoid distractions when you’re behind the wheel and never use your phone while driving. It’s against the law and extremely dangerous, especially on a night when so many kids are out.
• Make sure you can be seen. Turn on your headlights before dusk so kids can see your car. Always yield to pedestrians and come to a full stop at intersections.
• Plan for a longer night. If you’re driving on Halloween, accept that traffic will move a little slower than usual. Give yourself extra time to get to your destination. There’s no need to rush.
• Beware of what lurks ahead or behind you. Watch for kids darting out from behind parked cars or little trick-or-treaters when you enter or exit driveways or back up.
• Be extra patient at stops and crosswalks. Excited trick-or-treaters may dash across the road, so check multiple times before you start moving.
• School zones are ghoul zones. A school is a popular central gathering place for kids and families to meet up to trick-or-treat together. Be aware of the extra pedestrian traffic in school zones.

Let’s keep the frightening stuff to horror movies and ghost stories! Have an awesome, spooky, super-safe Halloween!