Trick-or-Treaters Beware: Follow These Spooktacular Halloween Safety Tips

Happy Halloween to trick-or-treaters young and old.

Halloween can be a night full of fun scares, but this night is also the third deadliest day of the year for pedestrians, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and AAA.

We've put together some safety tips so that trick-or-treaters have a spooktacular night out. 

These tips were announced by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), the Delaware County Transportation Management Association, the Upper Darby Police Department and AAA Mid-Atlantic. 

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Costumes & Candy

• Careful with those costumes and accessories. Makes sure all pirate swords are soft and short and costumes don’t block your vision. Children should wear bright colors and carry lights.
• Is it a trick or a treat? Check choking hazards before eating yummy treats and make sure the treats you eat are treats you trust (factory-wrapped only).

Rules of the Road

• Be sure to obey traffic signals when crossing the street, look both ways before crossing streets, put down your phones when walking and walk on the sidewalk when there is one. If there is no sidewalk, walk on the left side of the road, facing traffic. Even the prettiest princesses, fiercest pirates, wonder women and Stranger Things characters need to abide by traffic safety rules. 
• Show off your costumes for all to see. To make sure drivers can see you, put reflective tape or glow sticks on your costume and carry a flashlight. 
• Trick-or-treat in a group, rather than alone.

House Rules

• Lights off means move along. Only visit homes with their lights on.
• Don’t go in a home without a trusted adult
• Check to see if any sex offenders live along your trick-or-treating route.

• Pennsylvania Sexual Offender Registry
  
• New Jersey Sexual Offender Registry
  
• Delaware Sexual Offender Registry
  

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Drivers

• Turn your headlights on and drive carefully. Kids are on the lookout for candy, not cars, so Halloween night is the night to be extra mindful.
• Don’t drink and drive. About 36 percent of Halloween night deadly pedestrian crashes involve a drunk driver, according to the AAA.

NBC10 hopes you have a scary fun night, so do us a favor and stick to these safety tips and tricks.