Halloween is just around the corner and with a weekend of treats and costumes to look forward to, you could be forgiven for putting a boring matter like health & safety to the back of your mind.
Trick or treating doesn’t have to be a disciplined march, where the participants wear high visibility jackets in order to remain safe, but there are a few simple tips we’d like to impart on those brave souls in charge of a group of young terrors this weekend, to put your mind at ease when parading the streets.
Don’t lose your head (unless it’s already been severed), follow these tips and you should definitely return home with some happy horrors and sack loads of sweets.
Trick or Treating Top Safety Tips
1. Ride with a Coven
Rather than heading out in small groups consisting of an adult and a couple of children, organise a small group of adults to pool together their charges, forming an easier to control group with more eyes able to shepherd them from door to door.
In the event that any child decides to veer off in the wrong direction, or stray from the main group, there is then an adult able to go and return them, while the others continue the shepherding through the streets. We understand that a wandering Hulk is a formidable opponent to redirect towards the rest of the Avengers, but with a little persuasion and reminder that sweets are behind the next door, we’re sure he’ll be tempted.
2. Towering Ogre’s See Everything
With the last tip in mind, it’s important that those with the significant height advantage are around to guide the group through the streets safely. We would never recommend letting a pack of wild ghouls loose onto the streets, as this could pose a large threat to the security of all your neighbours (and maybe require a call to the Ghostbusters). It is best practice instead to let the all-knowing leader (read: Adult) make sure everyone stays together.
With trick or treating being at night and very soon after the clocks go back (making it dark earlier in the evening), it would not be advisable to let a group of youngsters travel alone without adequate supervision. With dangers as close to home as passing cars, bikes and buses, it’s imperative that your child and their friends are in safe hands while enjoying collecting their treats.
3. Keep Witches Clear of No Fly Zones
Darting from the pavements and on to road surfaces may not seem like much in the evening, given roads are quieter, but with the nights becoming darker, street lighting is beginning to lack in its ability to keep us illuminated and certainly a child in dark colours on the road is unlikely to be seen by a driver until they are very close.
The green cross code is possibly at its most prevalent on Halloween, as scores of youngsters take to the streets to harvest as many treats as they can. Sometimes the excitement of dressing up and heading out with their friends can let their mind wander. Being there to remind them that the pavement is where the group needs to stay can keep everyone safe and happy for the duration of the journey.
4. Keep Torches & Lanterns in the Hands of Qualified Arcane Wizards
A popular trope of Halloween is the carving up of pumpkins for bragging rights as to who the neighbourhood’s most creative carver is. Whether you want a simple demonic face cackling away or an elaborate tableau, depicting a particularly terrifying scene, its undoubted your younger ones will want to help. While they can freely enjoy the innards of your pumpkin and suggestions for how to cut the pattern are welcome, the knife work is definitely an adult’s job and should be stressed as being so.
Lighting candles or torches within the house is another Halloween classic as a way to set the mood. Use of lighters or matches to light them is a chance to teach the young ones the dangers of playing with fire. While it may get you the classic “but why” when they ask you to let them do the honours, you can be safe in the knowledge your Halloween will be burn free and as far away from an A&E unit as possible.
5. Plan Your Invasion Route
Taking your horde through the streets can be a fun and rewarding endeavour. Seeing young faces light up door-to-door, as treats are gifted to them, can be fulfilling knowing you’re participating in one of their favourite events of the year. One large component of achieving that feeling however, is planning the best route to come away with a good haul of goodies.
While you could go for a scattergun effect, you may wish to take a more refined approach, ticking off blocks of houses and making the most of your time hunting for sweet treats. The benefit of this is being able to plan a route; knowing where you’re heading from start to finish.
Make sure your route has safe road crossings, if indeed you will be crossing anywhere. Using zebra and pelican crossings will make the trip less perilous. While the cohort need not march in step, it is preferable that they take a safe trip along the pavements towards the next house.
6. Fiends with Flair
We know many of the dark denizens of the beyond like to dress in black, after all Johnny Cash always did look quite cool decked out in leather, so it’s a look that definitely works. If you however want your terrors to be safely seen by motorists and other pedestrians while walking from house-to-house on the pavements and crossing roads, you could add some colour to the wardrobe.
Rather than buying some high visibility hats that take away the mystique of the costume, add some sparkly bands around the witch’s hat, or a sharp red velvet waistcoat to that suave looking vampire of the group, or maybe opt for the classic 1960’s batman with blue pants over the costume to make your little one stand out.
Being visible when near roads in the dark is the best form of protection from any sort of accident. Having visible colour on a costume is perhaps the best way to ensure you’re protected while parading the streets in the dark.
Enjoying Your Evening
After everybody has been picked up by their respective parents at the end of the evening, you’ll finally be able to put your feet up; unless your own doorbell rings to the sound of excitable children standing outside.
With our safety tips in mind, Scott Rees & Co encourage you to have fun and enjoy the yearly sugar hunt, just keeping an eye on the occasional straying child along the way. Halloween is a night we can all participate in and enjoy, adults included. Following our tips will give you the potential to greatly reduce stress levels, while leading your group around the houses, enabling you to partake in the enjoyment yourself.
Should you suffer the worst case scenario and either yourself, a friend or one of your charges does fall victim to negligence while out trick or treating, on the road or otherwise; don’t panic as Scott Rees & Co are here to help. For any sort of personal injury, for adults or children, we have the expertise to help you claim compensation. Call us today on 0800 61 43 61 to see how we can help you.