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As families prepare to head out for trick-or-treating Friday night, the Eden Prairie Police Department is reminding residents to make safety part of the celebration.
The department Thursday urged parents to have children carry flashlights or add reflective tape to costumes when trick-or-treating outdoors. Children should stay on sidewalks and cross only at crosswalks, police said, noting that twice as many kids are struck and killed by cars on Halloween as on any other day of the year.
Parents are encouraged to check all candy before allowing children to eat it and throw away anything with torn or damaged wrappers. The department also recommends using battery-powered candles or glow sticks in jack-o’-lanterns instead of open flames.
Drivers can help keep trick-or-treaters safe by putting away cellphones, driving carefully after dark, and avoiding any impairing substances. Police reminded motorists that “if you feel different, you drive different,” whether the cause is alcohol, cannabis, prescription drugs, or other substances.