SeeCalifornia.com

What’s scarier than goblins, ghosts and creepy creatures? Fires, falls, cuts and collisions on Halloween.

We have a joke in our family when we see a bicyclist coming home from work wearing a bright orange vest. Somebody loves them. When a cyclist wears dark clothes, we surmise that their spouse doesn’t love them. “Hear honey, wear these dark clothes so nobody will see you when you ride  home…”  The same goes for children trick or treating through neighborhoods as cars zip by. Kids wearing black are nearly impossible to detect. The US Consumer Safety Product Commission says that kids should avoid wearing dark costumes, poor fitting attire, and masks that cover the eyes or nose, impairing the child in various ways.

Safety tips:

• All costumes must meet the flammability requirements but this doesn’t mean that textiles won’t burn. All textiles can burn and should be kept away from flames. Parents should look for costumes made from synthetic fibers like nylon and polyester because these materials are less likely to ignite, will resist burning and will extinguish more quickly if they do ignite.
• You should have two concerns when buying costumes for kids. First, check for any labels on the costume about its flammability and the materials that the costume is made from. Second, choose well-fitting costumes that are not too big and billowy.
• 64% of Halloween-related injuries between October and November last year were related to pumpkin carving. Keep knives out of kids’ hands and leave carving to adults. Let children scoop the insides of a pumpkin with a spoon, and make the the design with a crayon so they feel they are participating.
• Use battery operated candles and lights instead of candles to light pumpkins.
• Carry flashlights or glow sticks when trick-or-treating after dusk.
• Tell kids not to eat candy until their chaperones or parents check it out for tampering.