Three tips for fewer tricks this Halloween
The National Sheriff’s Association reminds people to stay safe while having fun this Halloween and has released safety tips:
1. Select costumes with care: For kids, think well-fitting and easy to see. Avoid long capes that can cause trips, as well as masks or beards that cover their eyes, nose or mouth. Choose costumes that are brightly colored and made of flame-resistant materials. Adding reflective tape and glow sticks to your young one’s also increases visibility.
2. Trick or treat mindfully: Children under 12 should go with an adult. Older kids should tell you their planned route, stay in well-lit familiar areas, trick or treat in groups, carry a cell phone and agree on a curfew ahead of time. Check small children’s’ candy for choking hazards and/or damaged packaging and avoid homemade treats from strangers.
3. Safety-proof your home: Some of the most dangerous parts of this holiday might be as close as your front doorstep. Remove items a trick-or-treater could trip over, get rid of slippery leaves from sidewalk and driveway and restrain active pets. Also remember to check and replace outdoor lights if necessary. When it comes to festive décor, avoid open flames, and consider using a flashlight or glow stick instead of a candle to light your pumpkin. If you must have a real flame, a votive candle is safest. Place candlelit pumpkins away from flammable objects and do not leave them unattended.
DPS: Plan a sober, not scary, Halloween ride
ST. PAUL - Stearns and Meeker Counties are among the 25 counties with the highest numbers of traffic deaths and serious injuries tied to alcohol and will have extra DWI patrols today on Halloween, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
Data from the Office of Traffic Safety shows that Stearns County ranked
No. 6 on the list and Meeker County No. 18. These top 25 counties accounted for 62 percent of impaired-related traffic deaths during the last three years.
Minnesota State Patrol Lt. Eric Roeske reminds motorists of the consequences of driving while impaired.
“It’s all about choices and one poor choice can result in jail time, a lost driver’s license and other consequences,” Roeske said in a news release. “We ask motorists to plan for a sober ride, because while losing a license can really disrupt a person’s life, causing a fatality or injuring another driver or passenger is far worse.”
The Department of Public Safety has received federal funding to increase DWI enforcement through September 2015.
• Consequences: A driving while impaired offense can result in loss of a license for up to a year, thousands of dollars in costs and possible jail time. Repeat DWI offenders, as well as first-time offenders arrested at
0.16 percent and above alcohol-concentration level, must use ignition interlock in order to regain legal driving privileges or face at least one year without a driver’s license. Offenders with three or more offenses are required to use interlock for three to six years, or they will never regain driving privileges.
• Pedestrian Safety: Trick-or-treaters and parents should review basic rules - be aware of moving traffic, cross streets only at intersections or marked crosswalks, carry flashlights and wear reflective clothing. Trick-or-treaters should continue to look both ways as they cross, as distracted drivers may not be looking for them. Motorists should reduce speeds and be prepared to stop.
