Top 5 Halloween Safety Tips You May Not Have Heard
Follow CBSDFW.COM: Facebook | Twitter
COLLIN COUNTY (CBSDFW.COM) - On Halloween night all you should be scared of are the ghosts and goblins - not for your family's safety.
Plano Police Officer Mark Dawson said Halloween should be one the safest nights of the year as long as you follow a few safety tips.
"The more kids you have out trick-or-treating, the more parents we'd like you to have," said Dawson. "Go as a group. Stay as a group. I would like the parents to walk up to the houses."
Those are the basic tips and ones you've probably been told before, however; here's five more safety tips that you may not be as familiar with.
1. Glow in the dark - To make sure drivers can see your child, add reflective tape and glow sticks to their costumes. However, remind children that the liquid inside many glow sticks can be toxic. The Poison Control Center says it sees an increase in calls about glow sticks every year around Halloween.
2. Don't mask your vision - Especially on younger children, costume masks can make it harder for them to see. Some safety experts recommend face paint as a better alternative.
3. Know the dangers of black licorice - The Food and Drug Administration actually warns against overdoing it on black licorice because of a compound found in the candy called glycyrrhizin. This compound, especially for adults older than 50, can lead to a drop in potassium levels and that could cause abnormal heartbeats.
4. Keep the streets clear - Parked along the street, large vehicles can block the view for drivers of some shorter children who may dart across the street not looking as they go trick-or-treating. According to the Centers for Disease Control, children are four times more likely to be hit by a car on Halloween than any other day of the year.
5. Stand out in a crowd – It's easy lose track of your child when there are a dozen other kids in the neighborhood wearing the same costume. If you are going out with a big group, try and make your child's costume different so you can easily spot them.
(©2016 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
