Trick or Treat? No matter the choice, practice safety this Halloween

Trick or treat?!

No matter which one you and your family chooses this Halloween, make sure you take proper safety precautions. Bakersfield personal injury law firm Chain | Cohn | Clark and the Kern County Sheriff’s Office reminds children and adults to keep the Halloween tradition fun by remembering to be safe.

“There is no real trick to making Halloween a treat for the whole family, but following safety tips and using common sense can help you make the most of your Halloween season,” the Kern County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

The most common dangers on Halloween are falls and vehicle-pedestrian collisions and crashes. Another major concern is identifying candy that has been tampered with, which children are given.

Halloween is the deadliest day of the year for young pedestrians, with twice as many deaths as on a typical day, USA Today reported, according to State Farm. Most at risk are kids ages 12 to 18.

Drunken drivers, too, are another hazard for everyone walking the streets. The share of fatal crashes involving drunken drivers rises from the usual 30 percent to nearly 50 on Halloween, USA Today highlighted. About 20 percent of pedestrian deaths on Halloween involve a drunken driver.

Here are several tips provided by the Kern County Sheriff’s Office and Chain | Cohn | Clark to help make Halloween safe and fun:

Parents

• Know the route your children will be taking if you aren’t going with them.
• Make sure you set a time for them to be home. Have your children eat a good dinner before going out.
• Make sure your children are properly supervised while out.
• Make sure they trick or treat in a group if you are not with them.
• Children 12 years and younger should be accompanied by an adult.
• Tell your children to never go into a stranger’s house.
• Tell your children to stay out of the street while walking.
• Choose a costume that is brightly colored and easy to see in the dark.
• Carefully inspect all food and candy before letting your child eat it (when in doubt, throw it out).

 Trick or Treaters

• Carry a flashlight.
• Stay on sidewalks.
• Cross the street at intersections, never run out from behind a parked car.
• Stay in familiar neighborhoods.
• Make sure your costume fits you well.
• Only approach houses that are well lit.
• Walk from house to house, don’t run.
• Never take shortcuts, such as alleyways or empty fields.
• Don’t eat anything until your parents have had a chance to inspect it.

Children should also know the basics, such as their phone number and address in case of an emergency, and how to react if a stranger tries to approach them. If your child is late returning home or you cannot locate your child, immediately call 9-1-1 and report it to local law enforcement.

Pets 

Calls to animal poison control centers go up at Halloween, according to USA Today. Chocolate contains a compound that can cause vomiting, diarrhea and even seizures and death in dogs. Raisins and the artificial sweeteners can also sicken dogs.

• It’s best to keep all sorts of human treats stashed away.
• Don’t feel the need to dress up pets in costumes. Pet costumes can cause stress in some pets, and some dogs might try to chew the unwanted costumes off their backs.

Adults

If you are planning on attending a Halloween party, consider the following:

• In 2012, 23 percent of pedestrian fatalities on Halloween involved a drunk driver.
• In 2012, 48 percent of all traffic fatalities on Halloween resulted from a DUI-related accident.
• Children are two times as likely to be hit and killed by a vehicle while walking on Halloween.
• Drinking violations for criminal offenders increase by about 25 percent when Halloween is on a Friday.

And if you or a loved one are involved in an accident during Halloween, it’s important to contact an attorney as soon as possible. The attorneys at Chain | Cohn | Clark are experts in pedestrian and car accident cases. Reach them 24 hours a day at 661-323-4000, or visit the website Chainlaw.com.