This year, traditions like haunted houses and bobbing for apples may be off the calendar for you and your children. However, plenty of families are still putting on masks and heading out for trick-or-treating.
Here in Pittsburgh, trick-or-treat hours in all neighborhoods will be from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Halloween evening. If you live in one of the suburbs of the city, check out this list from WTAE regarding trick-or-treat hours.
It’s a fact that Halloween presents an enhanced risk for children to be injured in a pedestrian accident. In the worst-case scenario, a child could even be killed by a distracted or inebriated motorist.
The following tips could help you keep your child safer this Halloween:
- Make sure that their costumes are highly visible. Even a black skeleton costume can be highlighted with glow-in-the-dark white. Add strips of fluorescent yellow to the back as well.
- Insist they stay on the sidewalk to go from house to house. Small children darting across the street from between parked cars may not be seen by drivers until it’s too late to avoid impact.
- Use crosswalks when possible. When there are no crosswalks, walk to the corner to cross the street.
- Don’t let your kids eat candy until a parent inspects it. This is one of the hardest rules for kids to follow. Parents can tuck a few mini candy bars from their own supply in their pockets to head off temptation.
- Costumes should be shin length or shorter. Youngsters can get tangled up in too-long costumes and take a tumble down steps or on uneven sidewalks.
If your child has the misfortune of getting injured this Halloween, remember that as parents, you are their best advocates when seeking civil justice for the injuries, losses and damages they suffer.