Soon your neighborhood will be filled with ghosts, goblins, witches and more as they take to the streets in search of tricks and treats. Although children look forward to the festivities and traditions surrounding Halloween, the excitement can cause them to forget to heed safety precautions, which can lead to unintentional injuries.

Check out these Halloween safety tips for a fun and safe Halloween.

Streets
• Pedestrian injury remains the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among children ages 5 to 14. Children are twice as likely to be hit by a car on Halloween.
• Make sure drivers can see your kids’ costumes in the dark. Be original with a glow-in-the-dark costume or a reflective trick-or-treat bag. Children should use a flashlight or glow stick when walking at night.
• Trick-or-treat in a group, not alone. Kids younger than 13 should go with an adult. Older kids always should go with buddies and follow a preplanned route.
• Remind your kids to cross streets at crosswalks and intersections, stop at street corners, look left, right and left again before crossing. They should not cross between parked cars or step into the street without looking to see if a vehicle is coming.

Motorists
Drivers also need to do their part to keep trick-or-treaters safe from harm.
• Be especially alert. Remember that popular trick-or-treating hours are during the typical rush-hour period, between 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
• Drive more slowly. Slow down ¬– expect a lot of pedestrian traffic.
• Lights on. Drive with your full headlights on so you can spot children from greater distances.

Treats
• You should check your kids’ treats before they eat them. Tell your kids to pick only wrapped candy when they trick-or-treat.
Costumes
• Make certain your kids’ costumes fit properly. Costumes should be large enough to allow the child to wear warm clothes underneath, but short enough to prevent tripping. Do not allow children to wear adult shoes or boots.
• Use facial paints and cosmetics in place of masks. If a mask is used, make certain the eye and nose openings do not restrict vision or breathing. Children should remove masks in between trick-or-treating stops.

Other
• Children should trick-or-treat only during your community’s predetermined hours.
• Kids should only visit homes of people they know and to only accept treats at the door.

FAST FACT: More than 93 percent of children, age 12 and younger, will go trick-or-treating.

Lisa Klindt Simpson is coordinator of Safe Kids Southeast Wisconsin Coalition, a member of Safe Kids Worldwide. Safe Kids Southeast Wisconsin works to prevent accidental injuries, the leading cause of death among children 14 years of age and younger. Children’s Health Education Center is its lead agency.
 

Children in homes without working smoke detectors are at a greater risk for fire-related injury and death. Take these simple steps to prevent fires, prepare your home for a fire and teach your child fire safety. They could save your child’s life.

Preventing fires
To help keep a fire from starting, closely inspect your home to eliminate potential hazards.
• Keep matches, lighters, candles and other heat sources locked and out of children’s reach.
• Keep children away from cooking and heating appliances.
• Never smoke in bed.
• Extinguish all candles and cigarettes before leaving home or going to bed.
• Avoid plugging several appliance cords into the same electrical socket.
• Replace old or frayed electrical wires and appliance cords, and keep all cords on top of rugs.
• Store all flammable liquids, such as gasoline, outside of the home and locked out of children’s reach.

Preparing your home
• Install smoke alarms in every sleeping area and on every level of your home.
• Test and clean smoke alarms monthly. 
• Maintain alarms by replacing batteries at least twice a year – when you change your clocks, change your batteries (unless it is a newer smoke alarm that uses 10-year lithium batteries).
• Replace smoke alarms every 10 years.
• Plan and practice two escape routes out of the house and each room.
• Designate one outside meeting place to make sure all family members are accounted for quickly.
• Sleep with bedroom doors closed. This prevents smoke, gas and heat from entering.
• Keep furniture and other heavy objects out of the way of doors and windows so they won’t block an escape.
• Place space heaters at least three feet from curtains, papers, furniture and other flammable materials. Make sure heaters are stable, and use protective coverings.

Teaching safety
Children need to be taught what to expect in a fire so they can act quickly. Teach children:
• Leave the house immediately if they hear the smoke alarm, smell smoke or see flames. Stay low and crawl – the best air is by the floor.
• Always feel doors before opening them. If hot, do not open and find another way out.
• Never go back into a burning building. Children should be reminded not to stop or return for toys, pets or to call 9-1-1 from inside the burning building.
• Call the fire department from a neighbor’s house or cell phone outside the home.
• Do not hide in closets, under beds, in bath tubs or in other areas of the home.
• When firefighters arrive, immediately tell them if someone is inside or missing.

FAST FACT: Playing with matches and lighters is a leading cause of fire deaths for children ages 5 and younger.

Lisa Klindt Simpson is coordinator of Safe Kids Southeast Wisconsin Coalition, a member of Safe Kids Worldwide. Safe Kids Southeast Wisconsin works to prevent accidental injuries, the leading cause of death among children 14 years of age and younger. Children’s Health Education Center is its lead agency.