Halloween is approaching, and with that comes a lot of festive celebrations. Trick-or-treating is the highlight of the Halloween season. However, there are shocking criminal statistics that happen on Halloween.
Violent crimes tend to rise by approximately 50% on Halloween night. When you and your family go out trick-or-treating, here are some tips to help you all stay safe and enjoy your night.
Walk With Your Kids
Trick-or-treaters are not safe to be exploring the neighborhood alone. Go celebrate the special occasion alongside your costumed kiddos rather than letting them roam. Halloween can be a prime time for unsafe people to have contact with vulnerable minors.
Even if you don’t have the time to pull an elaborate costume together for yourself, you can still accompany your kids as they enjoy the holiday. Plus, you get to enjoy some extra family time as they collect candy!
Avoid Jaywalking
When you’re roaming the neighborhood, it’s tempting to take shortcuts. However, jaywalking can pose a major threat to trick-or-treaters. With low visibility at night, cars may not be watching for pedestrians very carefully.
For this reason, make sure your festive Halloween crew is following safety laws. You wouldn’t want a fun night to be ruined by a disastrous accident.
Inspect The Candy
Wait to start snacking on all of the Halloween candy until everyone is back home. You’ll want the opportunity to inspect the candy for harmful substances before consuming it.
If anything looks suspicious, trust your gut and throw it out. Worst case scenario, you can buy some discounted candy the next day to make up for the lost sweets.
Avoid Homemade Items
Be wary of any homemade snacks that are handed out. Some people may genuinely mean well with their home-cooked treats. However, there’s also a higher risk of unsanitary preparation or drug-laced foods.
With the recent legalization of marijuana in several states, there’s a higher chance that your kids could be exposed to edibles. Avoiding homemade items altogether gives you more assurance of safe snacking later on.
Prepare Your Trick-Or-Treaters
When you take your kids out trick-or-treating, they’ll be interacting with strangers regularly. Make sure you let them know what to expect so they can enjoy their night safely.
Let your crew know to avoid sharing personal information with neighbors handing out candy. Unless you know those neighbors personally, it’s safest for everyone to keep some of the details to yourselves.