The City of Beavercreek always hosts Trick or Treat on Halloween, October 31, from 6 to 8 p.m.
While Halloween is a fun holiday known for costumes and treats, it also brings serious safety risks. Here are some safety tips to follow to help ensure everyone has a safe and fun Halloween.
Halloween Safety Tips for Kids:
- Trick-or-treat with members of your household or with a trusted adult
- Walk, don’t run, and stay on sidewalks
- Look both ways before crossing streets and only cross the street at corners
- Wear reflective clothing
- Be sure your costume is not too long - you don’t want to trip or fall
- Shoes should fit comfortably (even if they don’t match your costume)
- Carry only flexible swords, knives and props
- Be sure your parents always know where you are going to trick-or-treat and stay in familiar neighborhoods
- Do not ride a bicycle, your costume might get tangled in the wheels
- Keep away from candles and open fires
- Accept treats only outside of a home, never go inside
- Visit homes that have the porch light on
- Carry a flashlight
- Be cautious of animals
- Let parents check your treats before you eat them
- Never eat unwrapped candy, opened candy or fruit or homemade treats given to you on Halloween
Halloween Safety Tips for Parents/Guardians:
- Make sure your child eats dinner before trick-or-treating
- Children should always carry spare change or a cell phone to call home, if necessary
- When buying costumes, look for flame retardant material
Halloween Safety Tips for Homeowners:
- Keep your yard well-lit if you plan to pass out treats, turn your lights off if you won’t be home to discourage children from approaching your property
- Make sure your yard is clear of such things as ladders, hoses, dog leashes and flower pots that can trip young children
- Battery-powered jack-o’-lantern candles are preferable to using a real flame
- If you do use candles, place the pumpkin well away from trick-or-treaters
- Make sure paper or cloth yard decorations won’t be blown into a flaming candle
- Healthy food alternatives for trick-or-treaters include packages of crackers with cheese, packaged fruit rolls, mini boxes of raisins or microwave popcorn
- For non-food treats try pencils, stickers or plastic toys
Halloween Safety Tips for Drivers:
- Slow down and be especially alert in residential neighborhoods. Children are excited on Halloween and may move in unpredictable ways.
- Take extra time to look for kids at intersections, on medians and on curbs
- Enter and exit driveways and alleys slowly and carefully
- Get rid of any distractions - like your phone - in your car so you can concentrate on the road and your surroundings
- Turn your headlights on earlier in the day to spot children from greater distances
- Adult Halloween party-goers should have a designated driver