Police Share Halloween Safety Tips

The Temple Terrace Police Department is encouraging Halloween celebrators to “keep the party off the road.”

“Local revelers should be aware that their Halloween disguises won’t make them invisible to police, who will crack down on drunk drivers throughout the area with an aggressive Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement effort,” said police Capt. Mike Pridemore in a City of Temple Terrace press release.

Nighttime is always a dangerous time on the road, but Halloween can be particularly scary when intoxicated drivers get behind the wheel, the release states. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 41 percent of all highway fatalities throughout the nation during the Halloween period in 2010 (6 p.m. Oct. 29 to 5:59 a.m. Nov. 1) involved a driver or a motorcycle rider with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 grams per deciliter or higher.

“The scariest parts of Halloween aren’t the spooky costumes and frightening pranks,” Pridemore said in the release. “It’s that too often drivers don’t plan ahead and end up making a poor decision to get behind the wheel, putting us all in danger.”

To keep safe this Halloween, the Temple Terrace Police Department recommends these tips:

• Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin.
• Before drinking, designate a sober driver, and leave your car keys at home.
• If you’re impaired, take a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation so you are sure to get home safely.
• If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact your local law enforcement.

Last year, the police department also offered the following trick-or-treating tips.

Children should:

• Use sidewalks and not walk in the street (if you must walk in the street, walk facing traffic).
• Cross only at corners or marked cross walks.
• Never cross the road between parked cars.
• Never go into a stranger’s house.
• Watch for cars.
• Carry a flashlight.

Costumes should be:

• Flame retardant.
• Not have high heels or dangling pieces to trip on.
• Light colored or have reflective materials attached.
• Use face painting rather than masks or things that can hinder vision.

Drivers should:

• Drive in an extra cautious manner.
• Keep an eye open for children.

Parents should:

• Instruct their children not to open their candy until they return home.
• Inspect all candy for tampering before their children eat it.
• Make sure an adult accompanies young children.
• Know what route their children will be taking.
• Have a set time limit for children to return home.
• Explain to children the difference between tricks and vandalism.
• Not overload golf carts or let children drive them in the street.

Homeowners should:

• Have the outside of their homes well lit.
• Remove all obstacles from their lawns to avoid injuries.