NEWS RELEASE

Trick-or-treaters, parents, drivers, and homeowners all play an important role in keeping Halloween safe, so the Kentucky State Police are offering tips to ensure a safe and enjoyable time for everyone.

DRIVERS

• Stay alert for increased pedestrian and bicycle traffic on Halloween evening.

• Be patient and slow down.  Give children lots of time to cross the street.  Costumes may impair their ability to see and hear you and to get out of your way quickly.  Young children may lack the physical ability to cross a street quickly.  They may forget to “stop, look, and listen,” do not effectively evaluate potential traffic threats and cannot anticipate driver behavior.

• Drive defensively.  Don’t assume that a pedestrian will move in a predictable manner.  Expect the unexpected.

• Be extra cautious in areas where vehicles are parked along the side of the street.  Trick-or-treaters may dart into traffic from between parked cars.

PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS

• Trick-or-treaters should carry flashlights or “glow sticks.”

• Dress children in costumes that are light-colored and clearly visible to motorists. Consider traffic safety vests which may be found in most agriculture type businesses.

• Costumes should be no longer than ankle-length to prevent tripping, entanglement or contact with a flame.

• Use face paints or make-up rather than masks that could impair vision.

• Wear light-colored clothing or add reflective tape to costumes and trick-or-treat bags.

• Small children should be accompanied by adults, while older children should stay in groups.

• Instruct your children not to eat any candy until they bring it home and you examine it thoroughly.  Inspect commercially wrapped candy for tampering (unusual appearance, discoloration, tiny pinholes or tears in wrappers).  Discard anything suspicious.  Throw out homemade treats.

FOR TRICK OR TREATERS

• Only visit houses which have porch lights turned on.

• Never enter a stranger’s house or vehicle. (Parents should stress “vehicle” because some children might think it is OK to approach a van or bus).

• Stay on well-lit streets and always use the sidewalk.  If no sidewalk is available, walk at the farthest edge of the roadway facing traffic.