We’re rapidly drawing near to the scariest time of the year. No, it’s not tax season - it’s Halloween season when ghouls and ghosts haunt our streets.

Many of those ghouls and ghosts (and witches, werewolves, and zombies) will be cleverly disguised as children, with captive parents in tow as they go house-to-house for trick-or-treating. Trick-or-treating is a lot of fun, but it can also be dangerous.

We want all families to have a Halloween experience that is as safe as it is spooky. Here are some simple Halloween safety tips you and your family can follow to avoid danger from all the things that go bump in the night.

#1 Make Sure You’re Dressed for Safety

It’s never a good idea to go out on the streets wearing dark clothing when it’s dark out, but on Halloween, that can’t always be helped. Your adorable witch would look a lot less authentic if she were wearing a bright-yellow dress instead of a black one.

Fortunately, there are ways to dress safely for the occasion. Invest in things that glow or become illuminated at night. A lot of parents put glowing necklaces and bracelets around their children (i.e. the same things as glowsticks, except they’re wearable).

You can also put strips of reflective safety tape on your children’s costumes and their trick-or-treat bags. One noticeable, yet unobtrusive place to put tape is on the heels, toes, and sides of your kids’ shoes. That, coupled with a glow-band, can help make your children more visible.

Additionally, make sure that your children’s costumes are:

• Free of flowing fabric that can trip up your kid
• Resistant to flames
• Properly fitted, especially for hats
• Not sharp, such as with a cane or a toy sword

Try not to wear masks; they can really impede visibility, which is one of the leading causes of injuries on Halloween. And don’t let your kids - or yourself - wear decorative contact lenses; they can damage your eyes and are something that shouldn’t be worn without an eye doctor’s approval.

#2 Carry Flashlights or Lanterns With You

Carrying a flashlight or lantern can help make you more visible to oncoming cars, but it can also keep you and your children from stumbling over obstacles in their mad dash to the next front door for even more sugar.

Children can carry flashlights, too. You can even get headlamps to use, which come in handy as the sun goes down and your kids are running all over the place in the dark.

#3 Trick-or-Treat in Groups

There is safety in numbers, and that is especially true on Halloween.

Just like it’s better for people to band together against a zombie apocalypse, as evidenced by The Walking Dead, it’s better for parents and children to go through the neighborhood in groups.

Being in a group makes everyone more visible and safe. It allows you to help your fellow parents keep an eye on everyone. Plus, it makes the whole experience more fun for your kids.

#4 Making a House Safer for Everyone

You should also take steps to Halloween-proof your home.

If you have a jack-o-lantern outside, try to avoid using candles or any open flame. If you do use a candle, use smaller votive ones, and make sure there’s nothing flammable around the pumpkin. Glow sticks or battery-powered candles work great.

Make sure the lights on your front porch are in working order. Even if you like to scare the living daylights out of your unsuspecting trick-or-treating visitors through decorations, make sure the approach to your front door is illuminated. Remove all obstacles along the walkway. You don’t want people tripping over things on their way to your door.

Sweep any wet leaves from walkways in front of and on your yard. Keep your pets restrained. Basically, look around your front yard and the front of your home and ask yourself, “Is there anything here that can hurt a kid?” If the answer is yes, get rid of the threat.

Have a Happy Halloween!

Halloween is an awesome holiday, and many of us have fond memories of enjoying this time of year as children. (Some of us are still into Halloween as adults.)

Make sure everyone is safe by following this advice. Vampires and pirates may still get you, but at least you’ll be safe from everything else.

Wettermark Keith has a roster of experienced personal injury attorneys who have represented families from all walks of life in serious injury cases. Our commitment to caring for you and your family is built on a strong foundation of compassion. Contact our team to learn how you can get justice for your case.