Come Thursday, trick-or-treaters will be out in neighborhoods crossing streets and navigating sidewalks. To help keep them safe and Halloween fun, the Hawaii Police Department offers common sense tips for the public.
• Children should always have adult supervision, especially where there is vehicle traffic. Not having an adult looking out or monitoring children may also violate the law.
• Ensure costumes are safe — the right fit to prevent tripping and heat exhaustion; allows for clear, unobstructed vision; and is highly visible.
• Parents and children should have flashlights readily available to illuminate walking surfaces, as well as to alert motorists of your location. Glow sticks attached to a child’s costume also increases visibility at night.
• Police advise parents and children to stick to familiar neighborhoods and stay away from homes with poor lighting to prevent falls and injury. Unfamiliar homes may also have dogs on property that could bite unsuspecting children.
• Parents should examine their children’s candy to ensure it hasn’t been tampered with and is safe to eat. Stress to your children to not eat any candy until it has been checked.
• If you or a friend have been drinking alcohol or consuming an intoxicating substance, do not drive. Establish a sober driver ahead of time or call for a ride.
• Avoid using handheld electronic devices — which is a crime and unsafe — while operating a vehicle.
• Contact Police Dispatch at 808-935-3311, if you see a drunk driver or impaired pedestrian on the road. Be able to provide the vehicle’s license plate and direction of travel.
• Be alert for all road users, especially pedestrians, at night. Children may come from between vehicles or other unsafe locations.
• Slow down in areas where pedestrians are likely to be or where sight distances are limited. Clean your windshield.
• Police suggest walking on a sidewalk when one is available. If there is no sidewalk, walk facing traffic, as far to the side as safely possible, so you can move quickly off the road if you feel threatened by traffic. Drivers do not expect to see pedestrians on the road or to come out from between parked cars or behind shrubs. Expect that drivers will not see you and wait for them to pass.
• Follow the rules of the road at driveways and intersections by crossing with a traffic signal if there is one, and even if you have the right of way, make sure traffic has stopped or passed before you step onto the street. Pay attention to the situation at hand without being distracted by electronic devices.
• For those planning to drink at Halloween festivities, plan a way to get home safely before leaving. Create a “buddy system” to get each other home safely. Alcohol affects judgement, balance and reaction time. Walking impaired can be just as dangerous as driving drunk.
See Halloween safety tips provided by the Hawaii Police Department on their YouTube channel: