There’s no trick to being safe on Halloween

Encountering a spirited trick or two on Halloween is one of the treats of the holiday.

It’s as much a part of the tradition as sugar crashes, scary movies, bobbing for apples and ghost stories.

The most asked question of the day, after all, is likely trick or treat?

But there’s no trick when it comes to staying safe on All Hallow’s Eve. Just using common sense makes the difference between happy haunting and frightening festivities.

The Hawai‘i Police Department, Mothers Against Drunk Driving Hawai‘i and Walmart are providing information and tips keiki, their families and the community can use to make sure everyone has the best — and safest — Halloween possible.

Deadly night

The risk of impaired driving is scary on Halloween, a holiday Mothers Against Drunk Driving Hawai‘i says ranks among the deadliest nights for pedestrians, especially children.

Data from 2022, the latest available from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, show 39% of fatal car crashes on the holiday involved impaired drivers.

Studies also show pedestrian deaths increase by 43% on Halloween compared to other nights, with children ages 4 to 8 years old at particularly high risk.

“Neighborhoods are filled with children, teens and adults in dark costumes at night, navigating areas with poor lighting, making it critical for everyone to stay safe and alert,” said Makena Young, Mothers Against Drunk Driving Hawai‘i program manager.

Stacey Stewart said deaths caused by impaired driving are 100% preventable.

“Halloween should be about costumes and candy — not worrying about impaired drivers,” said Stewart. “If you plan to drink, do not drive and make a plan to get home safe.”

The nation’s impaired driving crisis is only worsening.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics show drunk driving deaths have increased 33% since 2019 — every 78 seconds, someone is killed or injured in a drunk driving crash.

A total of 787 motorists had been arrested on the Big Island so far this year as of Oct. 20 for driving under the influence of an intoxicant, an increase of nearly 1% from the 780 DUI arrests made by the same time in 2023.

Hawai‘i Police Department offers these tips for drivers on Big Island roadways this Halloween:

• Don’t drive if you or a friend drink alcohol or consume an intoxicating substance. Have a sober driver or call for a ride.
• Avoid using handheld electronic devices. Using an electronic device while operating a vehicle is a crime and unsafe.
• Contact police dispatch at 808-935-3311 if you see an impaired driver or pedestrian on the road. It’s best if you provide a license plate description of the vehicle and direction of travel on the road.
• Be on alert for all road users, including pedestrians, at night. Children might come from between vehicles or other unsafe locations.
• Slow down in areas where pedestrians are likely to be or where sight distances are limited. Keep your windshield clean.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving Hawai‘i also encourages parents to talk to their kids about underage drinking and impaired driving, having an open and honest conversation about how important it is to make safe choices.

Police offer these tips for pedestrians:

• Walk on a sidewalk if one is available. If there is no sidewalk, walk facing traffic, as far to the side as possible so you can move quickly out of the road if you feel threatened by traffic.
• Drivers do not expect to see people in the road or come out from between parked cars or from behind foliage. Expect drivers will not see people and wait for them to pass.
• Follow the rules of the road at driveways and intersections.
• Cross with a traffic signal if there is one, and even if you have the right of way, make sure traffic is stopped or passed before you step into the street.
• Do not get distracted by electronic devices. Observing visual and auditory information about traffic is important.

It’s also a good idea for those not driving to make a plan before the Halloween fun begins for a way to get home safely at the end of the night, especially if they will be drinking a few spirits.

Alcohol affects judgment, balance and reaction time, so walking impaired can be just as dangerous as drunk driving.

Create a “buddy system” to get each other home safely.

Here is some advice from Big Island police to remember while trick-or-treating:

• Keiki should have adult supervision at all times, especially when there is vehicle traffic. Not having an adult looking out or monitoring your children could also be in violation of the law.
• Parents and children should have flashlights readily available to illuminate walking surfaces at night as well as to provide a warning to motorists of their location.
• Having glow sticks attached to your child’s costume is another way to increase their visibility at night.
• Stick to trick-or-treating in neighborhoods your are familiar with and stay away from homes with poor lighting to prevent falls and injury.
• Unfamiliar homes can also be dangerous because of the possibility of dogs on the property that could bite unsuspecting children.
• Parents should examine the candy their child collected after trick-or-treating to make sure it was not tampered with and is safe to eat.
• Kids should also wait to eat their candy, including while trick-or-treating, until it is checked by their parents.

Halloween costumes 101

Hawai‘i Police Department says when it comes to wearing a costume, safety is all about the fit.

A costume needs to fit right to prevent tripping and heat exhaustion, allow for clear and unobstructed vision and be highly visible.

Walmart expanded on those three simple rules, offering tips that are good for keiki and adults alike:

• Dress in a brightly or light-colored costume or clothing. If avoiding dark colors is impossible, use reflective tape on costumes and bags to be more visible at night.
• Parents escorting a group of children might consider wearing a reflective vest so they are visible to the children and others
• Make sure shoes fit properly to also help prevent trips or falls.
• Masks can dangerously restrict vision. Try using non-toxic makeup to better see everything happening around them.
• Don’t forget to remove makeup at the end of the night to prevent any potential allergic reactions or skin irritations.
• Make sure costumes and accessories are “flame-resistant” or aren’t so long — such as a cape, long pieces of fabric or wigs — that they could catch fire.

Treat collection also has its nuances.

There are different colored buckets/pumpkins with specific meanings people should know:

• Teal buckets are used to indicate a child has a food or peanut allergy.
• Blue buckets are used by children to indicate they have autism.

Re-usable shopping bags available at most grocery stores also are a durable alternative for collecting all that candy and other tasty loot compared with a plastic bag or bucket that can break or tear.

Prevent home and yard decoration disasters

Here are a few tips from Walmart to make sure your Halloween decor doesn’t sour the festivities:

• Make sure your porch and front yard are clear of all potential tripping hazards.
• Replace any burned-out bulbs in your outdoor lights.
• Use battery-operated votives instead of lit candles in your jack-o’-lanterns.
• Secure inflatable Halloween decorations with visible string or rope, tent stakes and other fasteners.

Have a frightfully fun time trick-or-treating, attending parties or going to any of the haunting holiday events happening around the Big Island.

Armed with the tips and information above, staying safe while doing so should be a breeze.

Happy Halloween!

Big Island Now news reporter Nathan Christophel contributed to this story.