Have a Safe Halloween!

Halloween is almost here. Although it should be a 'fun' experience for you and your kids, lots of dangerous situations need to be addressed and avoided. The Victoria Police Department Traffic Safety Unit provided the Victoria Advocate with a few pointers so trick-or-treaters will have a safe and fun Halloween.

Be alert. A lot of neighborhoods, which are usually quiet without much traffic, will have an abundance of ghouls and goblins in the area in search of their loot. Remember that although kids should be supervised, some may not be. Some kids, being so excited to visit the next house, may dart across the street without looking. Beware of the cars on the sides of the streets. This is where a lot of these children may come from to cross the street. Be patient and slow down. Give kids lots of time to cross the street. Make your kids carry a flashlight and use it. This will let all of the cars around them know where they are.

Park legally if you're parking in neighborhoods to go trick-or-treating. Park facing the direction of travel. Do not park within 15 feet of a fire plug. Do not block driveways or sidewalks. If possible, put some reflective tape on the costumes or at least on the goody bags. You can buy reflective tape at most grocery stores and hardware stores. Make sure your child can see through their masks. They need to be able to see where they're going. Trick or treat in groups. It's much easier to see a large group of trick-or-treaters than a lone ghost.

Check all of the treats before the kids eat them. Never go inside of a stranger's house.

The Victoria Police Department Traffic Safety Unit invites citizens to inform us of any traffic issues that you observe. The easiest way to do this is go to our website, victoriapd.com, then go to the VPD Customer Service Request tab in the center of the page and follow the directions.

If you have a traffic law question, contact Senior Police Officer David Brogger, Victoria Police Department Traffic Safety Unit, 361-485-3700.