Happy Halloween: Here are some safety tips to keep in mind ahead of the scariest night of the year

It’s Halloween and trick-or-treaters alike are getting ready for the scariest night of the year.

With the spooky occasion comes busy streets with children and families hauling treat bags from house to house.

As families and kids prepare their routes, the Nova Scotia RCMP is reminding families and motorists to plan for safety as well.

Road safety

Police say ahead of your trick-or-treating adventure, it’s important parents or guardians review the rules of the roads with their young children.

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With the excitement, it’s common children can forget the importance of staying on sidewalks or looking both ways when crossing the street.

“It’s really important that we’re thinking about road safety. So, officers are going to be out making sure we’re doing those proactive patrols and making sure we’re preventing, if possible, things that might cause issues for trick-or-treaters, for families, and for people who are having kids coming up and knocking on their doors tonight too,” said RCMP Cpl. Carlie McCann during an interview on CTV Morning Live Thursday.

Motorists should also do their part to ensure children and families enjoying the scariest night of the year remain safe.

“Make sure that you are keeping your eyes on the roads, so putting your cellphone away when you’re driving. And if you are planning on using cannabis or alcohol tonight, having a designated driver or another safe ride home. We know that when there’s going to be lots of kids out on the streets walking around going door-to-door in your neighbourhood, we want to make sure they are safe.”

Drivers who will be out from late afternoon until evening should also plan to allow extra travel time and drive slow.

Plan a route and tell a family member

Older kids who are gathering treats without an adult are also advised to stay with a group and keep the adults in their lives aware of who they’re with and where they will be.

Police say mapping out a route in advance and talking about safety suggestions is also a good idea, including:

• only going to homes that have lights on
• not going inside homes or vehicles to get treats

Wear a bright costume

Another Halloween safety tip is wearing a bright costume to allow the wearer to be visible while walking on or crossing dark streets.

Police suggest a number of ways to brighten your costume, including:

• adding glowsticks
• carrying flashlights
• adding reflective elements to the costume

Police say if a costume includes a toy weapon, ensure that it is obvious that the item isn’t real and if relevant, is made of soft or flexible material.

“Sometimes people will have fun accessories as part of their costumes. If your kids have anything that might be potentially viewed as a weapon, make sure they know not to present it in a way that is going to be intimidating and scary,” said McCann. “And make sure that those toys that they have with them have the safety features still on them that people will know they’re not real.”

Inspect all candy

Police also remind parents and guardians to inspect all candy before a child starts to enjoy it to make sure nothing’s been tampered with.

“Most people giving out candy are doing it because they want kids to have a fun and exciting Halloween, but it is very important to make sure that you’re checking over kids’ candy to make sure that there’s nothing concerning about it,” said McCann. “Making sure it’s not been opened, not gotten dirty, not going to have anything that could cause allergic reactions.”

If anything looks suspicious, people are asked to contact police.