Spooky Safety: Tips to Stay Safe This Halloween

Fall is in the air, and pumpkin carving, trick-or-treating, and Halloween fun are just around the corner. Don’t let safety be an afterthought with your festivities, read on to get tips and resources for a safe and fun Halloween!

Tricks for Safe Treats

Candy is a spooky staple, and Halloween just wouldn’t be the same without it. If your children are out trick-or-treating, it’s important to consider what’s going into their bags. Here are a few tips and tricks for maximizing safety when it comes to your children’s treats:

• Avoid anything home-made or not commercially wrapped. These items can carry a higher risk of allergen exposure or tampering. ¹

• Inspect trick-or-treating candy at home before your kids eat it. Look at commercially packaged treats for signs of tampering like discoloration and punctured or torn wrappers. ²

• Remove choking hazards for younger children like hard candies, gum, peanuts, or small toys. ²

• Check candy labels for allergens if applicable. Many popular treats can contain common allergens like peanuts, tree nuts, or gluten. ¹ If you spot symptoms of a food allergy like swelling, wheezing, or difficulty swallowing, seek medical attention immediately. ³

• To avoid the temptation of eating candy before getting home to inspect it, give them a light snack before heading out for the night. ²

• Make sure you can spot the difference between candy and medicine with a similar appearance. You can reference this chart ⁴ from The National Capital Poison Center, and test yourself with this quiz! ⁵ If your child has ingested medication instead of candy, call your poison control center at 1-800-222-1222.

Street Safety for Trick-or-Treaters

Going door-to-door in costume with a pail in hand is fun, but can carry risks for candy connoisseurs. Did you know that over twice as many child pedestrian deaths occur on Halloween compared to other days on average? ⁶ These are a few precautions you can take to keep your evening of trick-or-treating safe and spooky:

• Always accompany young children when trick-or-treating. ⁷

• Cross the street at designated crosswalks and in groups. Remember to look both ways before crossing! ⁶

• Use flame resistant costumes, add bright colors or reflective tape for better visibility, and avoid masks that obscure vision or long costumes that could be a tripping hazard. ²

• Stick to familiar and well-lit areas, and always know the way home. ⁸

• Only visit homes with the porch lights on to welcome trick-or-treaters, and make sure children never go inside a stranger’s home, even when invited. ⁹

Tips For the Grown-Ups

Even if you’re not a parent with trick-or-treaters, there are things to consider for handing out candy yourself or attending Halloween parties with your friends. If you plan on welcoming trick-or-treaters this Halloween, make sure your home is ready:

• Clear your sidewalk, driveway, and porch of tripping hazards like garden hoses, wet leaves, or bikes. Nobody wants a scraped knee on Halloween! ⁷

• Make sure your outdoor lights are functional and replace any that have burned out. Keeping the area well-lit prevents tripping, and signals that you’re ready for trick-or-treaters. ⁷

• Keep dogs or other pets restrained, or in another room away from the front door to prevent them from jumping or biting. Children are more likely to be severely injured from dog bites and are the most common victims. ⁷

For those attending Halloween parties, it’s especially important to watch for pedestrians while heading out, and to be responsible about getting a ride home. If you’re planning to go out on Halloween, make sure to:

• Be on the lookout for pedestrians crossing the street. Children may be less focused on traffic while they trick or treat, or have a harder time seeing cars through masks. ⁹

• Take extra precaution backing out of driveways. Young children are smaller and more difficult to see while backing up. ⁶

• Watch for children in darker costumes, especially once the sun has set. ⁹

• Drive slowly. Driving too fast makes it more difficult to stop for pedestrians, and increases the severity of collisions and injuries. ¹⁰

• Keep your eyes on the road, not your phone. Distracted driving increases the likelihood of a collision, ¹¹ especially when there are more pedestrians out on Halloween.

• NEVER get behind the wheel while under the influence. Alcohol impairs your perception, motor control, and reaction time – a potentially deadly combination for you and others. ¹² 

• Avoid drinking with certain medications. Mixing alcohol with some medications can lead to serious symptoms like fainting or difficulty breathing. Common things like cold and flu relief, antidepressants, and diabetes medications can interact with alcohol. ¹³ Always check your prescription and OTC med labels for warnings about alcohol, and talk to our pharmacy team about any medication questions.

Halloween is a special spooky time for candy, costumes, and cackling witches, and with these tips and tricks, you can enjoy your night with peace of mind.

Sources:

1. https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/halloween-food-safety-tips-parents

2. https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/halloween-safety-tips-costumes-candy-and-colored-contact-lenses

3. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9196-food-allergies

4. https://www.poison.org/-/media/files/poisonorg/public-ed-materials/pdfs/candy-or-medicine.pdf

5. https://calpoison.org/candy-or-medicine

6. https://www.childrenssafetynetwork.org/infographics/halloween-safety

7. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/all-around/Pages/Halloween-Safety-Tips.aspx

8. https://www.newhorizonacademy.net/halloween-safety/

9. https://www.nsc.org/community-safety/safety-topics/seasonal-safety/autumn-safety/halloween

10. https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/speeding

11. https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/distracted-driving

12. https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving

13. https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/harmful-interactions-mixing-alcohol-with-medicines