KHTS Radio Santa Clarita Radio – Santa Clarita News
During Halloween, it is important for trick-or-treaters to follow safety precautions and rules while having a good time. The City offers these tips to ensure safety for everyone:
- Always carry a flashlight, some streets do not have properly lit areas making it easy for pedestrians to fall, trip and not see what objects are ahead a few feet.
- Pedestrians should always walk and never run while always stay on sidewalks and out of the streets. If there is no sidewalk, walk on the left side of the road facing traffic and always obey traffic signals.
- Trick-or-treaters should always stay in familiar neighborhoods; even adults can get lost in an unfamiliar surrounding. Adults should prepare a route a few nights before and screen it during the day for broken or non-existing sidewalks, construction or other obstacles that could cause trick-or-treaters to stumble.
- Do not cut across yards or driveways. Not every neighbor participates in Halloween festivities and certainly won’t appreciate ghosts and witches running through their property. Plus, obstacles could exist that aren’t visible.
- Wear a watch that can be viewed in the dark. It is very easy to lose track of time while having fun. Make sure trick-or-treat visits end at a respectable time. Halloween falls on a Tuesday evening this year, so visits should end before 9 p.m., since many candy givers have to be at work and most kids have to be in class the next morning.
- Make sure costumes are suitable for street trekking. Costumes should not drag on the ground to prevent tripping, shoes should always be worn and fit properly even if it does not go with the costume, avoid wearing masks while walking from house to house and carry only flexible knives, swords or other props. Wear clothing with reflective markings or tape.
- Approach only houses that are lit. Usually if a house is unlit, it is a sign that those neighbors are not participating in Halloween festivities.
- Stay away from and don’t pet animals you don’t know.
- Before consuming any candy or treats received from trick-or treating, adults should inspect the sweet stash for any suspicious or partially unwrapped candies. Kids should not snack while trick-or-treating.
- Throw out candies or treats that are homemade, unwrapped or if they appear to have been tampered with.
- Parents of young children should remove any choking hazards such as gum, peanuts, hard candies or small toys.
Please also remember these safety tips for pets during Halloween:
- Never leave your pet in the yard during Halloween. Many pranksters tease, injure, steal and even kill pets on this night.
- If you carve a pumpkin and burn a candle inside of it, please use extreme caution. Pets can easily knock a lit pumpkin over and cause a fire. Curious cats especially run the risk of getting burned or singed by candle flames.
- All but most social pets should be kept in a separate room during peak trick-or-treat visiting hours. Too many strangers can be scary and stressful for pets.
Lastly, Halloween and trick-or treating can be an enjoyable celebration for all; however some pranksters use it as a time to frighten and sometimes harm others. If a suspicious act is observed please contact the Santa Clarita Sherriff’s Station at 661-255-1121 or call 911.
Be careful, stay safe but most of all, have fun!
