How to Have a Safer Halloween Night

The holidays are a wonderful time for family activities. Children and their parents build life-long memories by dressing up and spending time together. But Halloween night is also rife with real danger for you, your children, and your pets.

This article will cover tips from the National Safety Council and others on how families and motorists can keep each other safe tonight in San Antonio.

Tips for Drivers

Halloween is one of the busiest nights of the year for foot traffic in neighborhoods. The streets will be full of families with children and pets crossing the street near dusk. Here’s some tips on how to drive safely through neighborhoods tonight:

• Take extra caution when backing out — Before putting the car in reverse, look twice for small children and animals that are difficult to see.
• Stay Alert — Fiddling with the radio, navigation, or your phone is a fast way to cause an accident. You need to be extra cautious when driving through neighborhoods where heavy child pedestrian traffic is expected.
• Establish rules with teen drivers — If your teen is going to party tonight, establish safe driving rules with them. No phones, no speeding, and drinking while driving.

Drunk driving and pedestrian accidents are high during holiday nights. Don’t end up doing something you’ll regret later. Follow all traffic laws and use extra caution during your Halloween fun.

Tips for Pet Owners

Halloween can be a hard night for your pets — people walking up to your door in scary costumes can trigger their natural instincts to protect you. Candy and costumes pose a risk to your pet as well. Here are some tips to avoid a dog attack or injury on Halloween night:

• Restrain your pets — If your dog is not comfortable with guests at the door, put them in another room with a TV or music on to soothe them.
• Move your candy away from the door — consider putting a table out front away from your door if you have no way to restrain your pet.
• Place candy and decorations out of reach — Dogs can be made very sick by candy and the wrappers they come in. Halloween decorations can also be very toxic if consumed.

Child Safety Tips

Halloween night is the most likely time your child will be in a child pedestrian accident. Kidnapping is also a major risk while trick-or-treating.

• Cross at Crosswalks as a Group — Most accidents happen away from crosswalks. Stay in a group and cross at a crosswalk to reduce the risk of an accident.
• Don’t Assume Right of Way — You have it, but drivers can have trouble seeing dark costumes. Always check before crossing the street.
• Accompany Young Children — The riskiest time of day for small child pedestrians is between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., research shows.
• Sort Candy Before Eating — Though rare, some candies can contain harmful materials or be laced with harmful material. Discard any suspicious or unwrapped treats and instruct children not to eat anything before you inspect them.

Injured on Halloween? Call Carabin Shaw

We hope you have a fun, safe night tonight. But, if you or your child are injured by a motorist, in a dog attack, or for any other reason, call our firm. Our personal injury attorneys can review your case for free to find out what compensation you are entitled to at 800-862-1260. We look forward to serving you.

Contacting a Carabin Shaw attorney does not obligate you to work with the firm and is free of charge. 

¹NSC Safety Tips