BECKLEY, FAYETTEVILLE, WV (WOAY) – Halloween can’t all be about tricks and treats without safety first.
As kids and their families go out for trick-or-treat, there are specific safety measures that local sheriffs from Fayette and Raleigh Counties urge everyone to take.
One of the most significant risks of all on Halloween night is traffic. As trick-or-treaters flood the streets of residential areas, often wearing dark costumes, the risk of getting hit should always be a concern.
“The sun is starting to go down a little earlier, the weather is not conducive to good visibility, so we need to be extra careful,” says Chief Deputy Sheriff for Raleigh County, Jim Canaday. “Slow down in neighborhoods, kids always travel on the sidewalk and the side of the roads.”
“What we can do as parents is to make sure, you know, if you wear a mask, make sure the kids can see out of it good,” Fayette County Sheriff Mike Fridley says. “It’s better to use some type of makeup or something like that so their vision is not obstructed.”
Another way to enhance safety and visibility is to decorate costumes and bags with reflective tape or carry glow sticks or flashlights.
But another major precautionary measure that comes after trick-or-treat is to check the candy before eating it. Drugs placed into familiar candy packaging like Skittles, Sweet Tarts, and M&Ms have always been a concern and now is certainly no exception.
“I think that’s really nothing new, for years people have always tried to be weary of candy that their children bring home, I don’t think this year’s any exception,” Canaday says.
“Keep an eye on it, make sure your kids know that they’re not to eat any candy or do anything with that candy until you check it,” adds Fridley.
The sheriffs say to not allow kids to open the candy and eat it until they get home from trick-or-treating. They say that after thoroughly checking the candy when they get home and it looks suspicious, to call their local sheriff’s department immediately.
With these safety tips in mind, it should be a fun night for trick-or-treating for everyone, despite maybe a little rain. As a reminder, the time for trick-or-treating are as follow:
Fayette County: 6 to 8 p.m. (Mt. Hope 5 to 7 p.m.)
Raleigh County: 5 to 7 p.m.
Mercer County: 6 to 8 p.m.
Monroe County: 6 to 8 p.m.
Greenbrier County: 6 to 8 p.m.
Summers County: 6 to 8 p.m.
McDowell County: 6 to 8 p.m.
