Halloween is just two days away, and soon munchkins and monsters will be out and about ringing in the holiday. The Halloween holiday falls on a Saturday, which means more people will be celebrating the holiday than normal. We see an influx of calls around every holiday, but revelers should use extra caution this weekend as young kids will be out Trick or Treating. In an effort to reduce regrettable decisions, we’ve thrown together a few tips to ensure you have a safe Halloween weekend.
Staying Safe on Halloween
Here are some tips to stay out of legal trouble this Halloween.
1. Wear Reflective Clothing – If you’re going out trick or treating with your kids, make sure everyone is wearing something that reflects light. Kids will be crossing streets to get from house to house, and some costumes are very dark in color. Add some reflective tape to the back of their costume, and wear bright colors if your chaperoning your kids so drivers can see you.
2. Rules of the Road – If you’re driving anywhere, know that cops will be out in full force looking for driving infractions. You may be able to get away with doing 37 in a 25 mph zone on a normal day, but that’s not going to happen when kids are out Trick or Treating. Obey the speed limit, especially in residential areas, and always make sure you come to a complete stop and look both ways before proceeding through an intersection.
3. Sober Ride – Many adults will also ring in Halloween on Saturday, but you should ensure you have a sober ride planned before you go out on the town. As we mentioned in the first two points, kids are going to be everywhere and cops are going to be adding extra patrols, so drinking and driving is a recipe for disaster. There are plenty of ways to get home safely:
- Grab a ride from a sober friend
- Take a taxi
- Hail an Uber
- Jump on a bus or the light rail
- Crash at a friend’s house
- Walk or bike
4. Teen Troubles – Halloween can turn into a night of mischief, and sometimes teens have nothing better to do than to stir up trouble. Talk with your teen and set some ground rules before they head out to meet up with friends. Know where they’ll be going, who they are with and what they plan on doing. Make your expectations clear, but also be reasonable. Let them know that you are only one call away if they need to reach out. We’re not saying you should be their getaway driver after they toilet paper the principal’s house, but if they are underage and cave into some peer pressure, let them know that’ll you’ll pick them up, because they should not be driving.
5. Celebrate Responsibly – Halloween night gives way to Daylight Saving’s Time early Sunday morning, but just because the bars will turn back the clocks and stay open for another hour, doesn’t mean you need to drink until they kick you out. Use some common sense when it comes to celebrating this weekend. You don’t need to black out just because it’s dark out. Excessive drinking can cloud your judgment and make it more likely that you’ll end up in trouble.
We hope you have a fun and safe Halloween weekend, but in the event that things get out of hand, please don’t hesitate to contact the criminal defense attorneys at Appelman Law Firm right away.
