October is upon us and before we know it, little ghosts and goblins will be taking to the streets for the annual rite of trick-or-treating. Sure, part of Halloween is having scares and experiencing fright, but only when it’s in good fun. Unfortunately, the real bad guys see this as an opportunity to act on children and families. To help you and your family have a safe and spooktacular Halloween, below are some easy-to-follow safety tips.

Key Halloween Safety Tips For Parents

As a parent, Halloween is scary for reasons other than ghosts and goblins. The safety of your child on a day that invites real creeps and monsters is your main concern. From haunted hayrides to costume parties to trick-or-treating, keep in mind the following safety tips:

Hayride Safety

Whether for scaring visitors or picking pumpkins, hayrides are a favorite Fall festivity. Just be aware of the following possible dangers.

* Make sure your children understand and follow the rules. That likely includes no standing while the hayride is moving.

* If there’s a horse pulling the hayride, make sure your child knows not to startle or otherwise provoke the animal.

* Hold on to your small children. Even a little bump in the road can be dangerous on a ride without seatbelts.

* Pay attention when getting yourself and your children in and out of the hayride. This isn’t a car you’re getting into.

* Read the rules of the hayride before arriving. For instance, some hayrides ban wearing Halloween costumes.

* You’re on a farm, so wear closed-toed shoes… or wish you had.

Costume Party Safety

Attending a costume party is a fun alternative to trick-or-treating, but you’ll want to know a few things before letting your child attend.

* Make sure the party is supervised— but specifically, who will be supervising? Confirm that the other parents and/or neighbors who will be there are people you trust.

* Ensure that your child’s costume doesn’t interfere with his or her ability to walk or see safely.

* Find out if the host plans to take the party of kids trick-or-treating. If so, see our next tips for trick-or-treating safety.

Trick-Or-Treating Safety

Walk with a flashlight, don’t eat any candy until inspected, don’t cross the street without looking—you basically know the common-sense safety measures when it comes to trick-or-treating. But have you thought about the following?

* Find out who your neighbors really are if you haven’t already and avoid houses with sketchy owners.

* Is there a sex offender in the neighborhood? Most definitely avoid this person’s home.

* Be extremely careful walking in or near streets. Children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than on any other day of the year. Not to mention, the number of road rage incidents is rising.

* Get up to speed with the understanding of situational awareness. More of a mindset than a skill, situational awareness is essentially knowing what’s going on around you and being able to detect threats. Having a situational awareness mindset is especially important on Halloween.

We hope these tips help you and your child stay safe this Halloween.

Justin Lavelle is the Communications Director for BeenVerified.com. BeenVerified is a leading source of online background checks and contact information. It helps people discover, understand and use public data in their everyday lives and can provide peace of mind by offering a fast, easy and affordable way to do background checks on potential dates. BeenVerified allows individuals to find more information about people, phone numbers, email addresses and property records.