{"id":477405,"date":"2026-10-26T19:46:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T19:46:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/477405\/"},"modified":"2026-10-26T19:46:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T19:46:10","slug":"dps-shares-halloween-safety-tips-for-texas-families","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/477405\/","title":{"rendered":"DPS Shares Halloween Safety Tips for Texas Families\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The<\/a>The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) urges Texans to take extra precautions this Halloween to help keep themselves and others safe. From choosing safe costumes and staying visible while trick-or-treating to staying alert behind the wheel and watching for pedestrians, a few simple steps can help prevent accidents and ensure Halloween remains a fun and safe tradition. Photo: Texas DPS<\/p>\n

Texas Border Business<\/p>\n

AUSTIN \u2013\u00a0The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) urges Texans to take extra precautions this Halloween to help keep themselves and others safe. From choosing safe costumes and staying visible while trick-or-treating to staying alert behind the wheel and watching for pedestrians, a few simple steps can help prevent accidents and ensure Halloween remains a fun and safe tradition.<\/p>\n

\u201cHalloween should be a night of fun and celebration, not a night of tragedy,\u201d said Texas Highway Patrol Chief Bryan Rippee. \u201cWe\u2019re asking everyone to do their part\u2014drivers should stay focused, slow down and watch carefully for children and pedestrians, while those who are drinking should plan for a sober ride home. Taking a few extra seconds to make the safe choice can help make sure everyone gets home safely.\u201d<\/p>\n

DPS encourages Texans to:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Safely store your firearms\u00a0locked in a cabinet or safe. Practicing safe gun storage protects our kids, prevents accidents and keeps guns out of the hands of criminals.\u00a0If you\u2019re having Halloween gatherings in your home \u2013 act now!\u00a0Download a safe storage checklist and find the right storage option for your home with help from DPS\u2019 Safe Storage Campaign. Visit\u00a0safegunstoragetexas.com<\/a>\u00a0to find options.Know the dangers of fentanyl. Victims of fentanyl poisoning often don\u2019t know that a pill or substance they bought online or received at a party is laced with the deadly drug. Fentanyl can even be disguised as candy. Remember, just ONE PILL laced with 2 milligrams\u00a0of fentanyl can take someone\u2019s life<\/a>.\u00a0Download the\u00a0iWatchTexas\u00a0app\u00a0on your mobile device and report suspicious activity in schools and communities. Reports take less than five minutes and help law enforcement stop life-threatening attacks before they happen.\u00a0Tips can be reported via the\u00a0website<\/a>, the free iWatch iOS or Android mobile app or by calling 844-643-2251.\u00a0All reports are confidential.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Halloween safety tips for trick-or-treating:<\/p>\n

Ensure costumes are\u00a0bright and reflective\u00a0by adding reflective tape to darker costumes to help drivers see trick-or-treaters at night.Use face paint instead of masks\u00a0that could obstruct vision.\u00a0Walk on sidewalks\u00a0and\u00a0utilize crosswalks.Carry\u00a0glow sticks,\u00a0flashlights\u00a0or\u00a0wearable lights\u00a0to increase overall visibility.Use soft and flexible accessories\u00a0such as pirate swords or wands that are not sharp.\u00a0Have a prearranged meet up location, in case your group is separated.Travel with adult supervision\u00a0and stay in familiar neighborhoods.Discuss the importance of\u00a0only visiting well-lit houses\u00a0and never entering a stranger\u2019s home or car for candy.\u00a0Make sure children\u00a0know the phone number of an adult\u00a0and how to call 911 in case they become lost.After trick-or-treating, take all goodies home for an adult to inspect before eating, and\u00a0never consume any items that don\u2019t have a wrapper.Know the neighborhood, visit the\u00a0Texas Public Sex Offender Registry<\/a>,\u00a0which includes a map of where the registered sex offenders reside in a given area.<\/p>\n

Following simple safety tips can go a long way to make Halloween safer for everyone, but everyone must do their part. According to the non-profit\u00a0Safe Kids Worldwide<\/a>, children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a vehicle and killed on Halloween than any other night of the year.<\/p>\n

Halloween safety tips for drivers:<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t drink and drive. Make alternate plans if you consume alcohol.Be aware\u00a0as a driver \u2013 don\u2019t assume children are paying attention to your vehicle.Buckle up\u00a0everyone in the vehicle \u2014 it\u2019s the law.Slow down; with the number of children walking the streets on Halloween, reducing your speed is necessary.\u00a0Use caution\u00a0when going through neighborhoods and other trick-or-treat locations.\u00a0Eliminate distractions\u00a0while driving, including the use of mobile devices. Texas law prohibits the use of portable wireless devices to read, write or send an electronic message unless the vehicle is stopped. If you\u2019re using a navigation device or app, have a passenger operate it so you can keep your eyes on the road.Drive defensively, as Halloween can have additional challenges.<\/p>\n

(HQ 2026-113)\u00a0Texas DPS<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) urges Texans to take extra precautions this Halloween to help keep…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":477406,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[132,134,133,987,19018,1472,81353,2785],"class_list":["post-477405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-austin","tag-austin","tag-austin-headlines","tag-austin-news","tag-halloween","tag-halloween-safety","tag-rio-grande-valley","tag-texas-border-business","tag-texas-dps"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477405","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=477405"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477405\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/477406"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=477405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=477405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=477405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}