Halloween Safety Tips

While Halloween is a fun family tradition in America, it is also one of the most deadly and dangerous. Each year millions of children enjoy the activity of trick or treating.  Many children are injured every year due to accidents that can be avoided by following some simple tips.  Halloween-related injuries can involve lacerations from pumpkin carving, abrasions from sharp objects attached to masks or costumes, burns from flammable costumes ignited by open flames from items such as candles and jack-o'- lanterns, motor vehicle accidents (not being properly buckled in or being hit by a motor vehicle), and choking.  Statistically, Halloween usually competes 1-2-3 with Fourth of July and New Years Eve for the most injuries and deaths.

Below are some safety tips to help ensure a safe Halloween for your family.

Costumes

* When purchasing costumes, masks, beards and wigs, look for flame resistant fabrics such as nylon or polyester or look for the label "Flame Resistant."  Flame resistant fabrics will resist burning and should extinguish quickly.  To minimize the risk of contact with candles and other fire sources, avoid costumes made with flimsy materials and outfits with big, baggy sleeves or billowing skirts.

* Purchase or make costumes that are light, bright and clearly visible to motorists.

* For greater visibility during dusk and darkness, decorate or trim costumes with reflective tape that will glow in the beam of a car's headlights.  Bags or sacks also should be light colored or decorated with reflective tape.

* Children should carry flashlights to see and be seen.

* To guard against trips and falls costumes should be well-fitted and not drag on the ground.

* Children should wear well-fitting, sturdy shoes. Oversized high heels are not a good idea.

* Tie hats and scarves securely to prevent them from slipping over children's eyes and obstructing vision.

* If your child wears a mask, make sure it fits securely, provides adequate ventilation, and has eye holes large enough to allow full vision.

* Swords, knives and similar costume accessories should be made of soft, flexible material.

Treats

* Warn children not to eat any treats before an adult has examined them carefully for evidence of tampering.

* Carefully examine any toy or novelty items received by trick-or- treaters less than three years of age. Do not allow young children to have any items that are small enough to present a choking hazard or that have small parts or components that could separate during use and present a choking hazard.

Decorations

* Keep candles and jack-o'-lanterns away from landings and doorsteps where costumes could brush against the flame.

* Remove obstacles from lawns, steps and porches when expecting trick- or-treaters.

* Indoors, keep candles and jack-o'-lanterns away from curtains, decorations and other combustibles that could be ignited.

* Indoors or outside, use only lights that have been tested for safety by a recognized testing laboratory. Check each set of lights, new or old, for broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires, or loose connections. Discard damaged sets.

* Don't overload extension cords.

Halloween also is a time for costume parties.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 50% of motor vehicle accidents occurring on Halloween are alcohol related.  Follow these simple guidelines to help keep yourself, your family and others safe:  if you plan on drinking alcohol choose a sober driver before going out; if impaired and a sober driver is unavailable use mass transit transportation, call a cab, or call a sober friend to drive you home; and always buckle up – it’s your best defense against impaired drivers.  Stay alert for children crossing streets at all locations.  Drive slowly through residential areas.  Make sure your vehicle has working headlights and clean windows so children are more visible.  Children are 136% more likely to be killed or injured as pedestrians between the hours of 3pm and 9pm on Halloween.

You can help protect little trick-or- treaters from being haunted by preventable injuries…  Halloween can be a safe and fun event for the entire family when planning ahead and following some simple safety guidelines.

The above safety tips were provided by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission and Drive and Stay Alive, Inc.  To learn more visit their websites at http://www.cpsc.gov/ and http://www.driveandstayalive.com.