Halloween trick-or-treating safety tips

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Halloween is here!

While kids are excited about dressing up and getting candy, authorities are focused on keeping everyone safe.

As much as we would like the spooky day to be all about fun, you have to be aware of your safety, too. Halloween remains consistently one of the top three days for pedestrian crashes - especially involving children.

"Children are twice as likely to be hit by a car on Halloween than any other night of the year. They need to be able to see everything, and they also need to be seen," said Jana Tidwell, with AAA.

We can expect to see an increased presence of children out trick-or-treating all across the city, but there are certain measures you can take to be as safe as possible.

Here are a few Halloween safety tips for driving:

- Slow down in residential neighborhoods and obey all traffic signs and signals. You'll want to give yourself extra time to react to children who may dart in the street.

- Most importantly, keep your eyes on the road and eliminate any distractions, like cell phones.

- For parents, AAA urges you or an adult to walk with your child and have trick-or-treaters use glow sticks, or even carry flashlights so you are visible at night.

"Stay with a group, walk to the end of the street, cross at the crosswalk [and] cross at the stop signs," Tidwell advises.

For partygoers, arrange a safe ride home, or designate a sober driver.

If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact local law enforcement.

This is a big party holiday, so you'll want to make sure that you can go out and have your fun, but also make sure you get home safely, too.