Halloween is on the way!  Here are a few tips to get your home and family prepared.

First, before Halloween arrives, make sure to check your yard for any hazards.  Do you have lots of trick or treaters in your neighborhood?  Fill any holes in the yard and pick up anything that may cause someone to trip or injure themselves.

While you can’t prevent EVERY injury, it’s best to do what you can to keep the yard as safe as possible.  If someone is injured on your property, you always run the risk of a liability claim.  Cleaning up hazards is a great way to prevent this.  

Next, consider filling your spooky jack-o-lanterns with battery powered lights.  Candles in pumpkins can lead to accidental fires and, even worse, a costume catching fire!  Simple battery powered lights prevent this and still look great! 

Third, make sure that your house is well lit on Halloween night if you’ll have trick or treaters!  Turn on the porch light and any extra yard lights as needed to keep the area safe and well lit. 

Finally, and most importantly, make sure that your kids are EASY to see on Halloween night!  Halloween is the most dangerous night of the year for children when it comes to being accidentally hit by cars. 

Wear light colored costumes, use reflective tape, carry flashlights, and use any other precautions to make sure that drivers can see your children.

Surprisingly, the risk can be even higher for 12-15 year olds!  Parents are usually closely watching the little ones, but the teenagers can be distracted by friends and afraid to look un-cool with extra lights.  Take necessary precautions to keep your teens safe.