Taking the Scare Out of Halloween

The ghouls and goblins come out in a few weeks. So do the princesses, superheroes, witches and vampires, their tiny, sticky fingers pushing doorbells as they yell out their ultimatum: Trick or treat.

Halloween is always great fun, in a candy-induced stomachache kind of way. But occasional tragedies--including last year’s, in which a 4-year-old was run over while trick or treating with his dad in North Hills, serve to remind parents that danger also lurks on All Hallows’ Eve.

Much of the risk lies in the act of trick or treating itself. Children in dark-colored costumes walking around at night are hard to see, especially when drivers are not accustomed to pedestrians. (Let’s face it, Los Angeles residents are much more likely to drive three blocks to a coffee shop than walk there.)

Ill-fitting costumes and masks can cause their own problems, restricting a youngster’s view or mobility.

And then there’s the perceived threat of people handing out dangerous candy, leading some parents to the annual tradition of X-raying goodies.

What’s a parent to do? The following are tips provided by the Los Angeles Police Department’s Crime Prevention Section:

* Children should trick or treat in groups, escorted by adults.

* If you will not be escorting your children, select another adult to do so and instruct the youngsters not to stray from the group. Know the exact route your children will take.

* Set a time limit for trick or treating and try to restrict it to daytime hours. This should not be too hard this year, as Halloween is on a Saturday.

* Nighttime trick or treaters should stay on well-lighted streets.

* Escorts should carry flashlights.

* Instruct your children to approach only homes with porch lights on and never to enter a stranger’s home. They should never accept a ride from a stranger.

* Children should trick or treat in their own neighborhoods and should walk only on sidewalks. Neighborhoods without sidewalks should be avoided.

* Kids should cross streets only at corners, never between parked cars. They should also look in both directions before crossing and obey all traffic signals.

* Children should wear fireproof costumes made of light-colored materials. Those who wear dark-colored costumes should stick on reflector tape to increase nighttime visibility.

* Costumes and shoes should be comfortable and of the correct size. Children can trip if their costumes are too long or their shoes are too big.

* Props such as toy guns, swords and knives should be made of soft rubber, styrofoam, cardboard or other pliable material. Realistic toy guns that could be mistaken for the real thing should be avoided.

* Because masks can restrict vision, children should remove them when crossing a street. Better yet, use facial makeup instead.

* Give commercially wrapped treats to children you do not know, but you may give homemade treats to those you do know--just make sure they’re properly wrapped.

* Turn on your porch light to let children know you’ve got candy for them.

* Avoid the whole thing and take your kids to an adult-supervised Halloween party.

Some parents have struck a happy medium and take their kids trick or treating at--where else?--local shopping malls.

Police also recommend you protect Fluffy and Fido from danger by keeping them inside your home or garage on Halloween. Someone should stay home that night, too, just in case.