Halloween is still a few weeks away, but planning now is important if you want to have the safest Halloween possible. Leaving things until the last minute means buying any décor or costumes that may be left – and those may not be the best choices. Right now, early in the month, there are six things you can do to make sure your Florida Halloween is safe this year:
1) Make an appointment with an eye doctor.
If someone in your home wants to wear novelty contact lenses as part of a costume, don’t buy them online or at a costume store. First, visit your eye doctor and get a check-up and correct prescription. Make sure you order novelty contact lenses from a reputable online or bricks-and-mortar business that demands to see a prescription and gets excellent reviews. Contact lenses are medical devices, not accessories, and need to be treated as seriously as any medical device you buy. Defective or dangerous contact lenses can cause eye injury or even vision loss.
2) Choose your costumes carefully.
Flaxman Law Group has already shared so tips last week for choosing a safe costume. Whether you are sewing your own, renting, or buying a new costume, make sure that it allows full mobility and visibility. Children’s costumes should be flame-retardant and have no loose cords (or other strangulation risks). Try on the costumes before the big day and have them altered if they don’t fit right.
3) Talk to other parents.
Now is the time to start creating a Halloween plan. Who will take your children trick-or-treating? Organize a group of children and a group of adults to head out together; groups are more visible to cars, reducing your risk of a car accident in Hollywood or your community and several sets of eyes mean better supervision for the kids.
4) Sit down with your teens for the Halloween driving talk.
If you have teen drivers, make sure they understand the risks of driving on Halloween. There may be lots of children out, and not all of them will be highly visible or will be careful about crossing the street safely. Make sure your teen is prepared for anything. If your teen is heading out to a Halloween party of their own, make sure they sign a no-drinking pledge and know they can contact you at any time for a safe ride home – no questions asked.
5) Plan a party or group Halloween excursion.
If you decide that the risk of trick-or-treating and pedestrian crashes is too high, consider talking to other parents about a party or event you can set up inside. Sticking together for a pumpkin patch visit or party means your children won’t be walking all over city streets but can still have lots of fun.
6) Check your Halloween decorations.
Replace candles, dry ice decorations, and lanterns with LED lights that won’t overheat. If you have lights, fog machines, or other décor running on electricity, check the cords for any signs of wear so you can replace them in time for Halloween. Also check for breaks, cracks, loose pieces, or sharp edges. Right now, you can find a selection of décor items in stores if you need to replace unsafe items.
Have you or your child been injured by an unsafe Halloween product? Defective products can unfortunately cause devastating injury. If your family has suffered, contact Flaxman Law Group for a free, no obligation case consultation. Our phone lines are staffed around the clock, even on Halloween night, so you can always reach a live person when you have concerns or questions.