Halloween In Birmingham: Safety Tips For Cold Halloween Night

BIRMINGHAM, AL — As parents prepare for their kids to celebrate Halloween Thursday night, there are some things to consider in regard to safety. With so many kids walking the streets in the dark, keeping kids safe takes a little more planning.

A UAB study showed that Halloween had the fourth-highest number of emergency room visits among holidays, and children ages 10-14 had the most injuries, more than 30 percent of the total.

"There is no one primary cause for Halloween-related injuries," said Dr. David Schwebel, professor in the Department of Psychology and director of the UAB Youth Safety Lab. "Ill-fitting costumes can cause falls and obstruct vision, trick-or-treating in the dark can create risks for pedestrians, and wielding a knife to carve the jack-o’-lantern presents its own set of problems."

Schwebel says parents need to set expectations for their trick-or-treating children regarding when and where they can go, making sure children are not out late unsupervised.

Keep this safety checklist handy:

• Always accompany young children when they go trick-or-treating.
• Stay in familiar, well-lighted areas, and plan your route.
• Visit only homes that have porch or outside lights turned on.
• Carefully check for signs of tampering before eating treats.
• Use flashlights when trick-or-treating.
• Attach strips of reflective tape to your child’s costume.
• Make sure hats, masks or other headgear cannot slip down over your child’s eyes.
• Use fire-resistant material for all homemade costumes.
• If you use a mask, make sure it fits snugly, and cut the eye holes large enough to allow full vision.
• Do not let kids wear mom’s or dad’s shoes. Dress them in shoes that fit, so they remain stable on their feet.
• Do not cut across lawns. Ornaments and clotheslines are hard to see in the dark. Stay on sidewalks and yard walkways.
• Falls are the leading cause of injury on Halloween. Costumes and unfamiliar neighborhoods contribute to falls.
• Remind children to stop and look left, right and left again before crossing a street.
• Be careful driving. Slow down, and keep an eye out for roaming ghosts and goblins.

Parents and children also will need to prepare for a colder-than-usual Halloween night. Meteorologist James Spann said the coldest air so far this season will arrive in Alabama Thursday night.

"Temperatures will fall rapidly behind the cold front, and by midday most communities across north and central Alabama will be in the 40s with a brisk northwest wind," Spann said. "Rain will end from northwest to southeast during the afternoon, and all of the rain will be gone by evening, so trick-or-treaters will have dry conditions for their fun. But it will be cold, with temperatures in the 37- to 42-degree range. Bundle up."