Safe Halloween Tips from Our Alabama Accident Attorneys

Oct 27, 2011 - Car Accidents, Personal Injury by Cross & Smith

Our Alabama child injury attorneys would like to wish you a safe and Happy Halloween. We’d also like to share some information with you to help keep the entire family safe on the 31st. There are dangers lurking on Halloween night and with just a few safety precautions, we can all have a safe Halloween.

Child injury is four times more likely to happen on Halloween than during any other night of the year. While kids look forward to suiting up in their Halloween costumes, trick-or-treating and carving pumpkins, parents worry about the real dangers of the holiday — including pedestrian accidents.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Chris Curry have offered these safety tips to keep the little ones safe this Halloween:

-Check out the registry of sex offenders in Alabama before heading out on your trick-or-treating adventure.

-Never let young children trick-or-treat without a supervising adult.

-Never approach a house that is dimly lit or has no lights on.

-Never walk across someone’s lawn.

-Make sure you child has contact information somewhere on them so that they can be helped if separated from the group.

-Instruct your children to never go into the house or into the vehicle of a stranger.

-Look both ways before crossing the street. Keep looking from left to right as you cross.

-Plan a trick-or-treating route before you head out. Choose one that has sidewalks, safe roadways and minimal vehicular traffic.

-Children’s costumes should be light-colored to make them more visible to motorists.

-Be sure to put reflective tape on your child’s costume or have them hold a flashlight.

-Make sure everyone’s in comfortable shoes and that costumes aren’t too long. Long costumes pose trip hazards. Falls are the number one cause of injury on Halloween night.

-Consider makeup instead of a mask for your child’s costume. Masks can obstruct your line of vision.

-For children who are old enough to trick-or-treat alone make sure you know where they are and who they’re with at all times. Make sure they have a cell phone on them for emergency purposes.

-Talk to your child about how to deal with any unwanted attention from a stranger. Teach them to yell, kick and scream.

-Make sure to feed children dinner before heading out so they’re less likely to snack on candy while they’re trick-or-treating.

-Make sure to look over all of your child’s trick-or-treating goods to ensure there are no threatening pieces in the bunch. Toss out candy that has been opened or looks like it’s been tampered with. Throw away all small pieces that may serve as choking hazards.

Drivers are also asked to be cautious on Halloween night. With children flocking to residential roadways, we ask that drivers travel slowly and cautiously. Keep an eye out for all the little ghosts and goblins. If you’re dropping off a child, make sure to pull up to the curb before they exit the vehicle. Never let someone get out of your car on the road-side of the vehicle.

With cooperation from everyone we can not only make this Halloween enjoyable, but safe. From our Alabama personal injury attorneys to you and your family — Happy Halloween!

Sources:

WBRC and Medline Plus

More Blog Entries:

Alabama Pedestrian Accidents: International Walk to School Day is This Week, Alabama Injury Attorneys Blog, October 4, 2011

ALDOT and AAA Focus on Causes and Solutions for Pedestrian Accidents in Alabama, Alabama Injury Attorneys Blog, September 27, 2011