Weekend safety

Oct. 31 is a date many children look forward to. Trick-or-treating, dressing up in costumes and participating in various fall festival activities are all good fun. However, there are a few precautions parents and guardians should take so that children, as well as adults, remain safe.

* If your children do plan to trick-or-treat, make sure they are accompanied by a responsible adult. Bring flashlights with you and consider attaching reflective tape to costumes so you and your child can be seen by drivers.

* While children likely will want to go to several homes to collect candy, limit it to those you know and trust.

* Inspect all candy your children receive and only eat factory-wrapped items.

* If you're not into trick-or-treating or prefer to take your children to a family-oriented event, check out the fall festivals and trunk-or-treat events hosted by local churches. In addition to passing out candy, many also have games and other fun activities for the whole family.

* Families with outside pets should consider bringing them inside this weekend, particularly Monday night.

* With Halloween falling on the back end of a weekend, drivers should be especially careful on the road not only on Monday night, but throughout the weekend. Unfortunately, some see Halloween as an excuse to act irresponsibly. This shouldn't be the case, but nonetheless it's important to be vigilant when out and about.

To read more tips for a safe and fun autumn weekend, check out the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at www.cdc.gov/family/halloween.