Halloween is the best time of year for those who love everything spooky and want to let out their inner ghoul. For young children in and around Cardiff, it is a night where they can dress up and collect enough sweets to fill a whole sweet shop!

But even though Halloween is special to most, there is a much darker side. With the nights drawing in, children are twice as more likely to be hit by a moving vehicle and killed on Halloween than any other day.

Halloween is the busiest night of the year, especially for children – so steps need to be taken to ensure their safety and the festivities remain a happy memory.

So, here are some tips to keep your little ghouls safe:

Trick-or-Treaters

• Plan your route – When searching for the best places for trick or treating, it can often take you many streets away from your home. So planning your route will ensure that you don’t get lost.
• Stranger Danger – Any other time of the year, you wouldn’t knock on a stranger’s door and ask for treats. So, when knocking on a stranger’s door ensure that your children understand not to enter a stranger’s house.
• Fire Resistant Costumes – Halloween Costumes can be a fire hazard; all it takes is your costume brushing up against a candle before it catches fire. Make sure when buying your children’s costume – they are fire-resistant.
• Out of the Dark – in October the nights are long and dark, so it is likely that it’ll be dark when you are out trick or treating. When walking around make sure to light your way with a torch and to ensure that you are visible to other people and motorists.

Motorists

• Pedestrians – In terms of people being out on the street Halloween is the busiest time of the year. Make sure to stay alert for children walking alongside main roads or in side streets.
• If you don’t have to, don’t- if you can avoid driving at all, it will probably be safer to stay at home.
• Drive Slow – Most residential areas in Cardiff and surrounding areas are 20-mph with speed bumps to ensure the speed is maintained. However, when driving ensure that you are driving below that on Halloween. This way if a small child walks or runs into the road, you can quickly stop your car.

Fire Safety

• Decorations – with more and more of us decorating for Halloween, it is important to ensure that they don’t catch on fire. So, when decorating ensure that decorations are kept away from open flames such as candles.
• Candles – Candles are great at making a spooky atmosphere, but they can also be a hazard. Try to use battery-operated ones to achieve the same effect or use glow sticks.
• Smoke Alarms – many of use will be buying pumpkins to carve and to light ready for Halloween. However, pumpkins with open flamed candles inside them can be a potential fire risk. If you are planning to put candles inside of pumpkins this Halloween, ensure that your fire alarms are tested and fully working.

Here at A&R Security Services, we provide comprehensive security services to businesses in Cardiff, Swansea, Newport, Bridgend, and RCT. If you are in need of manned guarding or secure key holding services then get in touch with us on 01656 713950 or visit our website.