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Halloween safety tips: ditch tricks, save treats
By Neel Trivedi, Staff Writer
Halloween may be the time for chills and thrills, but it’s not so thrilling when the chills turn real. Along with jack-o-lanterns, costumes, and trick-or-treating, danger also plays a big part in Halloween if one is not careful.
“The most common thing we’re concerned about is injuries,” said Plano Police Department Spokesman David Tilley. “While I can’t recall any injuries that qualify as serious, we have had children getting hurt before. In the past, we’ve had some issues with children being injured by vehicles. We advise children to follow basic precautions like not cutting across any yards and to always have fresh batteries in flashlights.”
Tilley said that children should also avoid criminal mischief.
The Plano Police Department provided some basic Halloween tips for children and parents to have a safe Halloween.
When trick-or-treating:
Never trick-or-treat alone.
Don’t enter someone’s home.
Don’t trick-or-treat homes that have the lights turned off.
Walk on sidewalks and not in the street.
Never hide or cross the street between cars.
No candy should be eaten before it’s inspected by parents.
While outside:
Carry a flashlight or lightstick.
Always walk, do not run.
Cross the street only at corners and look both ways.
Don’t go on skates or skateboards, you can trip and fall.
Don’t cut across yards or driveways.
Watch all cars closely. Not all of them will be careful enough to stop.
While choosing a costume:
Put reflective tape on the costume.
Make sure your costume doesn’t drag or cover your eyes.
If you’re carrying a prop such a toy butcher knife or pitchfork, make sure the tips are smooth and flexible.
Tilley said children should avoid carrying any toy or accessory that looks real.
“Guns should not look like real guns,” he said. “Homeowners may know its Halloween, but they’re still pretty cautious. Police officers are always on the lookout for those kinds of things.”
Along with keeping their children safe, parents are also advised to keep their pets safe as well. The Plano Police Department gave the following tips for keeping pets safe:
Keep pets safely inside, away from trick-or-treaters.
Keep candy out of a pet’s reach. Some candy can be harmful or even toxic to pets.
Keep pets away from flame decorations such as candles and jack-o-lanterns.
Putting costumes on pets is OK in most cases, but masks are not recommended.
Don’t let pets accompany children while trick-or-treating. They may become difficult to handle during the festivities.
“We know kids are excited about Halloween and we’d like for them to get as much out of it as they can,” Tilley said. “We just want them to get it safely.”
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