Autumn brings with it beautiful colors and a crisp chill to the air. It also brings with it one of the most popular holidays, Halloween. Halloween is not only popular with little kids. It is also growing in popularity among adults. Having a Halloween party is definitely great fun and this year nearly one in three adults will attend a Halloween party. Many attending these parties will be drinking alcohol. As people prepare for their ghoulish activities they should not forget to think about safety.
Here are some Halloween Safety Tips for the Party Host:
• Put away valuable and breakable possessions. If holding your party in their house, the host should make sure to move any breakable pieces of furniture or knick-knacks to another room where they cannot get broken. A forgotten heirloom vase that hits the floor could ruin the night for the host.
• Be careful with decorations. If using dry ice in a punch bowl, make sure that to use a large punch bowl and a smaller one that fits inside. The smaller one is for the punch, the larger one is to put the dry ice and hot water in. Keep them separate, dry ice is not for ingestion and can cause serious damage to internal organs if swallowed.
• Use artificial lights and candles in place of real candles. These are much safer to use.
• Make sure the yard and sidewalk is free of anything a person could trip over. Costume masks make it much harder to see where people are going.
• Do not let impaired guests drive. If hosting a Halloween party, remind guests to plan ahead and designate their sober driver, offer alcohol-free beverages and do not allow impaired guests to drive. Prepare a list of local taxi companies in advance to have ready should guests need to call one.
Here are Some Tips for the Guests:
• Designate a sober driver in advance. If intending to drink alcohol, plan ahead to get home safely by selecting a designated driver or ensuring cab service is available from the party location. Never ride with a driver who has been drinking.
• Consider an overnight stay. If attending a party at a friend's home, consider asking to stay overnight. If participating in festivities in a downtown or commercial area, look into hotel accommodations within walking distance. Many hotels offer special Halloween weekend rates and promotions.
• Exercise extreme caution when driving a vehicle. Avoid traveling through residential areas. If possible, try to avoid cutting through residential areas where trick-or-treaters are likely to be present. If providing directions to a party, try not to route guests through residential areas unnecessarily.
• Watch for children in the street. Be on the alert for excited youngsters, whose vision may be obscured by masks, darting out into traffic. Trick-or-treating, children may not pay attention to traffic and might cross mid-block or between parked cars. Motorists should scan far ahead when driving in residential areas, watch for children, and cautiously monitor their actions.
• Obey the speed limit. Motorists should obey the posted speed limit. When driving through residential areas were trick-or-treaters are likely out, consider driving five miles per hour less than the posted speed limit.
Whether party host or one of the guests make Halloween a safe, fun, and happy time that is enjoyed by all.
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