Trick-or-treat safely this Halloween!

When out trick-or-treating, all the spooky costumes, cobwebs and candy make for an exciting evening – but don’t let them distract you from staying alert. The City of Vaughan is reminding all goblins, witches and ghouls to prioritize safety protocols when walking on sidewalks or driving down streets on Halloween, especially at night when it’s dark.

With children and parents on the streets in search of loot, everyone – including drivers – needs to be alert and follow the rules of the road.

Tips for all pedestrians:

• Fasten reflective tape to costumes or bags, or carry a flashlight or glow stick to help drivers see you in the dark.
• Walk with young children on sidewalks.
• Walk, don’t run, when crossing the street.
• Pay attention to cars while walking along or crossing roads.
• Obey all traffic rules and signals.
• Ensure you are visible to drivers and cyclists, and make eye contact once they have stopped before crossing.
• Cross at designated crosswalks, crossovers or controlled intersections only.

Tips for drivers and cyclists: 

• Reduce speed in residential areas and be ready to stop at all times.
• Expect the unexpected. Children can be unpredictable and cross the street at the wrong place or run into oncoming traffic without warning.
• Obey the rules of the road, including posted speed limits.
• Yield to pedestrians.
• Pay attention to your surroundings. Watch for, stop and yield the whole roadway to pedestrians when approaching a pedestrian crossover. (Failing to do so may result in fines from York Regional Police of up to $1,000 and four demerit points.)
• Avoid distractions within the vehicle and ensure children are secured in a correctly installed child restraint seat if required.

TREAT ACCESSIBLY

The City of Vaughan is dedicated to fostering an inclusive community where people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds can thrive – including on Halloween. As a reflection of this commitment to advancing accessibility, Vaughan Council recently endorsed the Treat Accessibly initiative. This is a grassroots movement started in 2017 by the Padulo family to make Halloween trick-or-treating more accessible and inclusive for all families. Treat Accessibly outlines the following ways households in Vaughan, and in communities throughout North America, can distribute Halloween goodies in a safe and accessible way:

• Download a free accessible trick-or-treating sign to place in your window.
• Create a trick-or-treating station at the end of your driveway.
• Make sure the path to your trick-or-treating area is well lit and clear of any hazards.
• Refrain from using strobe lights and high-pitched, sudden loud noises.
• Ensure pets are kept safely away from the front of your house.

More information on this initiative is available in the City’s News Release.

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