Halloween is the one night a year ghosts and goblins come out for spooky fun.

The night is also when children dressed in costumes go trick-or-treating in their neighborhoods.

According to Safe Kids Worldwide, 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.

Last year, a 14-year-old boy was struck and killed while trick-or-treating with a friend along Schantz Road in Upper Macungie Township.

There are several ways parents can help keep children safe this Halloween:

· Help your child choose costumes that are not too dark, long or will obstruct their vision;

· Accompany young children when they go trick-or-treating;

· Children should carry a flashlight or glow stick to help them see in the dark and be seen by drivers;

· Children should only go trick-or-treating to homes and in neighborhoods they know;

· Children should never accept homemade treats from people they do not know;

· Teens should go with friends or family, never alone, and they should carry a cell phone with them;

· Parents should check candy before it is eaten;

Drivers need to be alert to children and drive slowly. Use caution when driving near corners or through intersections. Upper Macungie Township Chief of Police Edgardo Colon offers the following Halloween safety tips.

· Take your time and walk from house to house. Don't run. If there are crosswalks and sidewalks use them;

· If there are no sidewalks, walk to the far left of the roadway as possible;

· When vehicles approach, step off the roadway until the vehicle passes;

· If you see a hazardous situation, call 911 or the local police.

Several churches in the area offer trunk-or-treat events in their parking lots as a way to help keep children safe at Halloween.

Union United Church of Christ, Neffs and Union Evangelical Lutheran, Schnecksville, will have a joint trunk-or-treat 3-5 p.m. Oct. 26 in the parking lot.

Asbury United Methodist Church, South Whitehall, and Ziegels Union Church, Breinigsville, will also be having trunk-or-treat at their churches 6-8 p.m. Oct. 26.

Christ United Church of Christ, Little Moore, 936 S. Mink Road, Danielsville, will hold trunk-or-treat in the church parking lot 4:45-7:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 27.

Bethany Wesleyan Church, Cherryville, is having trunk-or-treat 6:30 p.m. Oct. 30 and Bethany United Methodist Church, Wescosville, is having a trunk-or-treat event 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31.

Susan Bryant

editorial assistant

Parkland Press

Northwestern Press