Halloween is tonight and while the excitement is growing for all the Halloween festivities to begin, it’s important to stay safe.

Jana Tidwell, manager of Public and Government Affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic, joined us on the show this morning with some safety tips to keep Halloween all about treats and no unforeseen tricks.

Tips for parents:

• Make sure Halloween costumes are flame-retardant and light in color to improve visibility.
• Be bright at night! Have your trick-or-treaters use glow sticks, put a flashlight in their Halloween bag, or wear retro-reflective tape on their costumes and on treat buckets so they are seen during the dark.
• Ensure disguises don’t obstruct vision and avoid full facemasks. If you are wearing a mask, wait to put it on until you have reached the house’s porch.
• Ask an adult or older child to supervise children under age 12.
• Instruct children to travel only in familiar areas and along established routes.
• Teach children to stop only at well-lit houses and to never enter a stranger’s home or garage.
• Review trick-or-treating safety precautions, including pedestrian and traffic safety rules.

Tips for Trick-or-Treaters:

• Stay on sidewalks and avoid walking in the streets if possible.
• If there are no sidewalks, walk on the left side of the road, facing traffic.
• Look both ways and listen for traffic before crossing the street.
• Watch for cars turning or backing up.
• Cross streets only at the corner, using traffic signals and crosswalks, and never cross between parked vehicles or mid-block.
• Trick-or-treat in a group if someone older cannot go with you.
• Tell your parents where you are going.
• Carry a flashlight containing fresh batteries. Never shine flashlights into the eyes of oncoming drivers.

Tips for Halloween Party Goers

• Arrange a safe ride home and/or designate a driver before partaking in any festivities.
• Always designate a sober driver.
• If you are drunk, take a taxi or ride-share service, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation.
• Before leaving for a party, download ride-share apps or put numbers of local cab companies or your designated driver(s) into your phone.
• Walking impaired can be as dangerous as drunk driving. Designate a sober friend to walk you home.
• If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact local law enforcement.
• If you know someone who is about to drive or ride impaired, take their keys and help them make safe travel arrangements to where they are going.

Tips for drivers

• Eliminate distractions while driving, focus on the road and trick-or-treaters.
• Slow down in residential neighborhoods and obey all traffic signs and signals, give yourself extra time to react to children who may dart into the street.
• Look for children crossing the street. They may not be paying attention to traffic and may cross the street mid-block or between parked cars.
• Carefully enter and exit driveways and alleys, taking extra care if you are backing up or turning.
• Turn your headlights on to make yourself more visible – even in the daylight.

You can find more information about AAA, here.