Halloween Safety Tips for Kids

With all of the excitement that comes with Halloween, it’s easy for kids to forget road safety rules. Here are a few reminders to review with your trick-or-treaters to ensure that everyone has a safe, fun, candy-filled holiday.

Road Safety

Make sure your child’s costume is visible at night. Choosing bright and reflective costumes will help drivers see them clearly. Their costumes should also be properly sized and not drag on the ground, where extra fabric cause them to trip. Make sure their shoes also fit properly and do not cause a tripping hazard. Their eyesight should not be blocked by masks, wigs, or other costumes. Ensure they can clearly see in all directions.

Children should stay in groups and communicate where they are going. Only allow trick or treating on well-lit streets and walk on a sidewalk if it is available. If there is no sidewalk, they should walk on the furthest edge of the road facing traffic.

Remind them to never cross the street between parked cars or coming out of a driveway. Use crosswalks when they are available. Above all, be sure that children are accompanied by an adult.

The Route

Plan the route you will take and ensure that each child and adult has a flashlight with new batteries. Only approach homes that have their porch light on and never allow your children to enter homes for a treat. If you have older children that plan to go by themselves, make sure you know the route they will be taking.

Once you have planned your route, be sure to identify any homes where registered sex offenders live and do not approach those properties even if the porch light is on. You can find registered sex offender maps on the National Sex Offender Public Website.

More Halloween Safety Tips

Once you get home with the goodies, check your child’s Halloween candy. You can find out what to look for in our article Police Warn: Check Your Child’s Halloween Candy. For more information on how to pick the best costume, check out Choosing Safe Halloween Costumes to Prevent Accidents and More.

Grace Wells

Grace Wells grew up in the kind of town where no one locked their doors and parents felt safe letting their kids wander. Things have changed a lot since then. As a mother today, Grace has to worry about so much more than skinned knees and hurt feelings.

Grace believes the best way to keep kids safe is to stay informed. She hopes that her work at Kids Safety 101 makes a difference in children’s lives so that they can grow up as carefree as she did.

Please enable notifications so that you never miss an important update from Kids Safety 101.

See author's posts