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October 30, 2007

Stay safe and have fun on Halloween

Scott Teague

Vampires, werewolves and mummies might not be the only scary sights tonight when parents take their children trick-or-treating, and Georgia College & State University Public Safety officers are encouraging children and families to be safe and obey the law.

Crime Prevention Sgt. Brian English will speak with students at Midway Elementary School today about the importance of staying safe and having fun when they go out to area neighborhoods tonight.

“We’re stressing that children just stay safe,” English said. “Don’t go to places you don’t know. Don’t go to streets or neighborhoods that you don’t know well. Go to places that are well-lit places where you’re familiar with your surroundings. Young children should be accompanied by an adult, big brother or sister, and they should be sure to wear a watch if they go out on their own. And, always tell your family where you’re going to trick-or-treat.”

English said he encourages families and children to carry flashlights and wear reflective clothing so vehicles see children in the dark.

Other safety tips include:

- Don’t run to each house

- Stay on sidewalks

- Obey traffic signals

- Stay in familiar neighborhoods

- Don’t cut across yards and driveways

- avoid wearing masks while walking from house to house — put them on only when approaching the house door

- Approach only lit houses

- Stay away from strange animals

- Older children should carry change in case they don’t have a cell phone or it quits working

“We’re mainly focusing on pedestrian safety — look both ways before crossing the street, don’t dart out into traffic. Stay with other kids that you know and stay in big groups,” English said.

Parents who don’t happen to live in large neighborhoods can take their children to big, safe neighborhoods for tonight’s trick-or-treating, English said.

“Drive to bigger and well populated neighborhoods,” he said. “Don’t go to a street with just one house on it. Stay with your kids, keep an eye on them and carry two-way walkie-talkies if you have them.”

English is a father himself, and he’s taking his baby daughter trick-or-treating, but he isn’t taking her to just any neighborhood.

“My little girl is 16 months old, and we’re just going to take them to houses of people that we know,” English said. “We’re not going to take her to strangers’ houses. I really think that’s a good idea for all families, but some kids’ families are strewn about Middle Georgia, so they go to their neighborhoods and trick-or-treat. But if their parents can drive them to family members or friends houses, that’s what I recommend them do.”

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