Halloween Safety

[Music] there's one magical haunted evening each year when all the scary creatures come out to prowl through every neighborhood [Music] but here's the scariest monster of all do you know why this little witch doesn't know it but she's taking some frightening chances of being hurt maybe badly hurt her costume is very very dangerous can you see the things that make it dangerous what about that mask she can hardly see through those tiny holes for her eyes if you were wearing that mask here's what it would be like you can see straight in front of you but unless you happen to turn your head you wouldn't see that car coming as you start to cross the street you could be run over and unless you look down you can't see that you're coming to a curb oh that hurts it's bad enough to take a tumble on hard pavement that it would be even worse to sprawl out on the street in front of a car coming now let's imagine that we're in that car can you see her clearly why not what is there about her costume that makes it hard to see her as the driver of a car or truck you might not see her until it's too late and that's really scary before we think about some ways that the little witch could see and be seen better let's take another look at her costume whoops down she goes again it seems as if she's collecting more bumps and bruises than candy tonight let's see if we can help her shall we and by helping her maybe you can learn some things that will help you stay safe at Halloween first we need to turn back the clock and start this whole evening over again one of the problems with this costume is that it's too long it's too easy to trip over a long full skirt so we can shorten the skirt you should always shorten any skirt pants slacks or cape that is too long or floppy now the broom that's a clumsy thing to carry and it's something that you're likely to trip over in the dark it's usually easy to shorten brooms or round off the sharp points of pirate swords and other costume parts that can trip you or scratch you cardboard brooms and swords are usually safer than wooden ones but it's safest not to carry anything like that in the first place now what else might we change on this costume to make it safer what about that color remember how hard it was to see the little rich because of her dark costume on a dark night we should always wear light bright colors on the street at night so drivers can see us what about this color a white costume makes an unusual different kind of which was more likely to be safe on Halloween night a good way to make any costume easier to see at night is to decorate it with reflective tape or reflective patches some costumes come with reflective material already attached to the cloth [Music] here's what it looks like to a car driver it's easy to see even on the darkest night and while you're putting reflective tape on the costume you should also add some of it to the bag or container you'll use to carry home your candy some special Halloween sacks are treated with reflective material when they're made and it's a good idea to write your name address and phone number on the sack just in case there is an accident now how about the mask any problem with it do you remember how hard it was to see out through those little eye holes to be safe at night you have to be able to see clearly as well as be seen we can improve the mask by cutting larger holes to look out of there that's better but there is an even safer way you can simply not wear a mask oh you think you need a mask to disguise yourself well just watch what you can do with a little help from your parents and some scraps of cloth or old clothes from around home an eyebrow pencil different colors of eyeshadow Rouge lipstick an old mop or wig some wax teeth maybe some clay and food coloring and a few other odds and ends you'd be surprised what you can turn yourself into [Music] whether you buy a costume or design your own be sure that it's made of flame-retardant material that means material that won't catch on fire easily [Music] now our little witch has turned into a beautiful princess and a new costume is much safer but there are a few other things you should do before going out first eat a big dinner if you go trick-or-treating while you're hungry you'll be tempted to sample some of your treats while you're out and that's definitely not a good idea keep an eye on the clock in many places the police set the hours that you should Trick or Treat trick or treat only within those times neighbors should be ready with treats for you and drivers should be more careful to watch for you during those hours make sure you carry a flashlight when you go the light will not only help you see where you're going in the dark but it will also make it easier for others including drivers to see you [Music] always travel with a group not alone it's safer still to have a parent along to keep an eye on things and of course you should always walk riding a bicycle at night is always dangerous but it's even more dangerous to try to ride in a costume at night as you go from the house to house stay on the sidewalks as much as possible if you have to walk in an area where there are no sidewalks walk is far off the roadway as possible and face the traffic that way you can see what's coming and get out of the way if you have to cross streets only at brightly lighted corners not in the middle of the block and never between two parked cars when you start across the street across quickly but don't run and don't stop in the middle of the street for any reason stay in your own neighborhood when you're trick-or-treating your neighbors are probably hoping to see you in costume on Halloween and it's safest to visit people you know if you don't know the people very well don't go into their homes most people enjoy having trick-or-treaters come to their doors but there are a few people who will do things to hurt kids they might put sharp or hard objects and candy and apples or they might put something on fruit or gum that could make you sick if you eat it to be completely safe save your treats until you get home then ask your parents to help you check them carefully to make sure that there's nothing in them or on them that could hurt you the safest treats are usually candy or gum that come in their own wrappers from the factory fruit should be washed before you eat it and all candy bars and fruit should be sliced so you can be certain that there is nothing harder sharp inside that could hurt you if you're not sure whether something is safe enough don't take any chances throw it away but let's get back to the fun part of Halloween with the princess and her friends almost everyone enjoys a good Joker riddle what's your trick what'd you guys get for breakfast what [Music] what's what's a lien and we take out inside one column here where's Jackie I'll keep his money we're in a blood bank here a from candy however some practical jokes and pranks aren't so funny if you should break something it wouldn't be very funny to the owners or to your parents who might have to pay for it so keep your jokes funny and harmless tonight has been a magical night we saw a scary monster changed into a beautiful happy and safe little princess how about you will you follow the lead of the little princess and have a safe and super Halloween this year [Music]