Big Island police offer Halloween safety tips

The spooky season is upon us, and the Hawai‘i Police Department wants to make sure everyone stays safe during the revelry.

Being safe is no trick; a few common-sense tips can help make Halloween is safe and fun for keiki and adults alike. Here are few suggestions from Big Island police:

For trick-or-treaters:

• One of the most important safety tips is having adult supervision of children at all times, especially when there is vehicle traffic. Not having an adult looking out or monitoring your children could also be a violation of the law.
• Make sure your child’s costume is safe. Costumes should fit correctly to prevent tripping and heat exhaustion, should allow for clear and unobstructed vision and be highly visible.
• 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.
• Parents and keiki should stick to trick-or-treating in neighborhoods they are familiar with and stay away from homes with poor lighting to prevent falls and injury. Unfamiliar homes can also be dangerous as there might be dogs on the property that might bite unsuspecting children.
• Once trick-or-treating is done, parents should examine the candy their child received to make sure it was not tampered with and is safe to eat. Parents should also stress to their kids to not eat any candy that was not checked by them while they are trick-or-treating.

For drivers:

• If you or a friend drink alcohol or consume an intoxicating substance, don’t drive. 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 very unsafe.
• If you see a drunk driver or impaired pedestrian on the road, contact police dispatch at 808-935-3311. It’s best if you provide a license plate description of the vehicle and direction of travel on the road.
• Be on alert. Children could 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.

For pedestrians:

• Walk on a sidewalk if one is available. If there is no sidewalk, walk facing traffic, as far to the side as safely possible so you can move quickly out of the road if you feel threatened by traffic. Drivers do not expect to see pedestrians in the roadway or to come out from between parked cars or behind shrubbery. Expect that drivers will not see you 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. This will be easier to do if electronic devices do not distract you from picking up visual and auditory information about traffic.
• Before the Halloween festivities begin, plan a way to get home safely at the end of the night. Alcohol affects judgment, balance and reaction time. Create a “buddy system” to get each other home safely. Walking impaired can be just as dangerous as drunk driving.