Editorial Cartoon: Do they know it’s Halloween?
Halloween is a holiday made for college students.
People get to come up with creative costumes, drown themselves in bags of candy and be someone else for the night (or the weekend).
Students often compete to come up with the most creative, funny or scary costume, but Halloween can be scary in more ways than one.
At the same time that people are parodying monsters, real ones may be waiting in the shadows.
According to the National Retail Federation, 148 million Americans will partake in some sort of Halloween activity this year. With so many people, including children, celebrating everyone must take safety precautions.
Keep in mind that while students celebrate Halloween with almost as much enthusiasm as children, it is a holiday meant for children and many will be out this weekend.
If students live in a neighborhood with a lot of families, be prepared for trick-or-treaters.
If students want to pass out candy at a house or apartment they should make sure to clean up debris from their yard and front stoop.
Pumpkins are tempting, but a poorly placed jack ‘o lantern can be a fire hazard to a small child.
If a student is not opening up his or her house to trick-or-treaters put a sign out.
Vandalism is a common crime during Halloween.
Be sure to move anything inside that you do not want strewn across the neighbors lawn the following morning.
If students are going out this weekend they should be aware of how much money they are spending. This year the National Retail Federation estimates people will spend about $65 on Halloween. Add in the cost of alcohol and students can rack up some scary credit card bills.
But the biggest threat this Halloween is actually the drivers. Vehicles are the biggest threat to trick-or-treaters and other pedestrians.
From 1996 to 2005 nearly 5,000 people died in crashes during Halloween, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Halloween is a chance for people to escape from reality, but there is no escaping the reality of a DUI or hitting a pedestrian.
Make sure a costume does not prohibit your vision or ability to drive. Make plans ahead of time for getting home, designate a driver or consider staying overnight after a party this weekend.
Halloween only comes around once a year, but the effects from poor choices can last a lifetime.
