With traditional in-person Halloween activities resuming this year, the Santa Clara Police Department (SCPD) encourages everyone on the road to be extra careful as more children are out walking the neighborhood and collecting candy.
As everyone participates in Halloween and Día de los Muertos celebrations, SCPD offers the following tips for families to be as safe as possible on Halloween night:
Drivers
- Slow down and watch out for more foot traffic in residential neighborhoods.
- Take extra time looking for trick-or-treaters at intersections and entering/exiting driveways.
- Never drive distracted or impaired.
Parents and trick-or-treaters
- Make sure costumes fit to prevent trips and falls.
- Decorate costumes and bags/buckets with reflective tape.
Have kids use flashlights or glow sticks to make it easier for drivers to see them.
- Walk on sidewalks, when available. Avoid darting into the street or crossing between parked cars.
- Stick to familiar, well-lit routes.
- Look both ways before crossing the street. Make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them.
If you are heading to a local bar, restaurant or house party and plan to drink, bring the designated sober driver with you, use a ride-share service, or stay the night.
In an effort to keep trick-or-treaters and others in the Halloween spirit safe, SCPD will have additional officers on patrol looking for drivers suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
