How To Stay Safe During The Spooky Season

It is that time of year again where children (and adults!) get dressed up in their scariest outfits, children go out trick or treating with their parents and/or friends and everyone decorates their houses with the scariest Halloween decorations they can find.

It is a very fun time of the year, however it is extremely important to be aware of the potential hazards that can arise during this spooky season.

Here are a few scary things you need to watch out for during Halloween, especially with children, and how to safely avoid them:

Be careful of light up decorations

A lot of people love to decorate their houses with scary Halloween decorations. It is all part of the Halloween spirit! However, light up decorations can pose as a major fire/electrical hazard in your homes and it is important to know how best to avoid these hazards.

Here are some top tips and tricks:

• When hanging your Halloween lights, be sure to use plastic hooks to reduce the risk of electric shock
• Make sure the lights aren’t faulty or damaged before you hang them up, e.g. a blown or broken bulb which can cause electrocution
• Make sure to look for loose connections and frayed wires
• Look out for broken sockets before connecting the lights
• Do not leave your Halloween lights on unattended at night – this can be a huge fire hazard

Watch out for potholes and raised kerbs when trick or treating

Make sure that you and your children walk carefully at night, as there is a risk of tripping on potholes, raised kerbs and other defects on the pavements and/or roads when walking at night.

Here are some top tips and tricks:

• Ensure that you and your children carry a torch or a glow stick with you when walking at night – this ensures that you identify hazards on the roads early so you can avoid them
• Stay alert on unfamiliar residential and main roads
• Children can be very excitable at Halloween, but it is important that they don’t run on the roads at night – this can increase the risk of tripping over a pothole or another defect in the road
• Make sure that you and your children wear comfortable footwear such as trainers, converses or flat boots – wearing flip flops or heeled shoes can increase your risk of tripping over a defect

Drive carefully in pedestrian areas

There will be a lot of “trick or treaters” walking on residential roads and main roads in the dark. Therefore, it is vital that you are especially careful when driving over the Halloween weekend.

Here are some top tips and tricks:

• Use your lights appropriately
• Watch out for children trick or treating and adults on the roads
• Don’t drive if you are feeling tired – you need to be extra alert when you are behind the wheel!
• Make sure your windows are clear before driving – during the winter months, there can be a build-up of frost on car windows which can obstruct your view of the road

Make sure you and your children stay safe during this spooky Halloween season (but also have lots of fun)!

If you have suffered an injury during the Halloween season as a result of an accident and you are pursuing a personal injury claim, speak to a specialist solicitor. Please call our highly experienced Personal Injury team today on 0330 822 3451 to talk through your situation with us. Alternatively, you can request a call back online.