Asheville Reporter

City of Asheville issued the following announcement on Oct. 24.

Are you ready to celebrate Halloween and have a good scare? We hope that you and your family have fun, trick-or-treating and wearing a costume. That’s why we would like to share with you a few recommendations that the North Carolina Department of Transportation and the Federal Drug Administration have for your safety, and make Halloween safer and more enjoyable.

For Trick-or-Treating on the neighborhood

• Plan and discuss a safe route for children to follow and establish a time to return home, or to gather at a reunion spot.
• Make sure that an adult or an older responsible youth will be supervising the outing for children under age 12, staying together as a group.
• Make sure children carry flashlights, glow sticks or wear reflective tape on their costumes to make them more visible to motorists.
• Make sure that the Trick-Or-Treaters walk on sidewalks, not in the street, and that they don’t cut across yards or driveways. Remember that, if there are no sidewalks, you should walk on the left side of the road, facing traffic.
• Please keep your yard and sidewalk well-lit and free or any obstacles to keep kids from tripping or falling. Turn your porch light on.
• If you run out of candy or are not participating in Halloween, please turn your porch lights off.

For Motorists, you should be especially careful on Halloween, 

• Drive slowly through residential streets and areas where people walk.
• Watch for children darting out from between parked cars.
• Watch for children walking on roads, medians, and curbs.
• Enter and exit driveways and alleys carefully.
• At twilight and later in the evening, watch for children in dark clothing.

Be cautious with the Treats

Candy and sweet treats are cornerstones of Halloween fun. Here are some things you should take into consideration about food safety. 

• Inspect commercially wrapped treats for signs of tampering, such as an unusual appearance or discoloration, tiny pinholes, or tears in wrappers.
• Don’t eat candy until it has been inspected at home.
• Eat a snack before heading out to avoid the temptation of nibbling on a treat before it has been inspected.
• In case of a food allergy, check the label to ensure the allergen isn’t present. 
• Parents of very young children should remove any choking hazards such as gum, peanuts, hard candies, or small toys from the Halloween bags.
• If something doesn’t look right or if you find anything in candy boxes that might be narcotics or dangerous, do not touch it, but contact the Asheville Police Department or your local law enforcement agency.  

Finally, If you have never worn contact lenses before, Halloween should not be the first time you wear them. Remember that the FDA is discouraging consumers from using illegal decorative (colored) contact lenses. These are contact lenses that have not been approved for safety and effectiveness. Buying any kind of contact lenses without an examination and a prescription from an eye care professional can cause serious eye disorders and infections, which may lead to permanent vision loss. 

If you have an emergency call 9-1-1. If you have a question, issue, or don’t know who to contact you can reach the Asheville Police Department Communications Center 24/7/365 on the non-emergency line at 828-252-1110.

 Original source can be found here.