Halloween Safety in Houston: Keep Kids Visible, Together and Aware, the Sheriff's Office Says

HOUSTON - Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, and Houston neighborhoods will fill after sunset with children in costume moving door to door. The Harris County Sheriff's Office encourages families to plan trick-or-treating routes through familiar, well-lit areas and to make sure younger children are accompanied by a responsible adult, in guidance collected by My Neighborhood News with Safe Kids Worldwide and the Houston Humane Society.

Safe Kids Worldwide recommends that children younger than 12 should not cross streets alone at night; older children out without an adult should travel in groups, agree on a route beforehand and set a specific time to be home. The practical list is simple: use sidewalks where they exist, cross at corners and crosswalks, put phones away while crossing, and make costumes easier to see with reflective tape, flashlights or glow sticks. Drivers carry the other half of the bargain - Safe Kids reports children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than on an average day, and asks drivers to slow down in residential neighborhoods, eliminate distractions and take extra time at intersections and driveways.

At home, the guidance is to clear walkways of cords, hoses and decorations, light porches and paths, and use battery-operated candles in jack-o'-lanterns instead of open flames. Parents should check candy before children eat it - damaged packaging, unwrapped items and small, hard or sticky pieces that can choke young children come out first. The Houston Humane Society reminds families that chocolate is toxic to dogs and cats, sugar-free candy with xylitol can be life-threatening to dogs, and raisins are dangerous for dogs too; pets do best in a quiet room away from the doorbell, with current ID tags and microchip information. For an emergency, call 911; for non-emergency matters in the Sheriff's Office jurisdiction, HCSO can be reached at 713-221-6000.