It’s Halloween, and many will be out tonight to celebrate by trick-or-treating.

Iowa State Patrol District 4 Resource Officer Trooper Shelby McCreedy says one of the easiest ways to keep everyone safe while still wearing their costumes is making themselves as visible as possible. McCreedy tells Raccoon Valley Radio this is especially important once it gets dark, when motorists will need to be able to see people walking across the street.

“And then when you’re talking about traffic safety, I tell people all the time, make sure the kids use the sidewalks, that’s the safest place to go. If you’re gonna cross the streets, please do it at the intersections. I know Halloween’s really exciting and kids like to run back and forth across the street. But when you’re mingling cars and traffic in with trick-or-treating, it’s always best to just cross the street at the intersection.”

McCreedy mentions that in the case of Halloween parties, she recommends making sure that if the party is for adults and alcohol may be involved, have a plan to get home safely. She adds that if anyone is going to drive home, they need to make sure that they are not impaired, and that they should wait a little later into the night to give trick-or-treaters time to get home as a precaution.